Ex-NFL star Irv Cross, who died in 2021, diagnosed with CTE

Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Former NFL star cornerback Irv Cross, who died in 2021, was diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, Boston University researchers announced Tuesday.

"Mr. Cross was diagnosed during life with mild cognitive impairment and was found at autopsy to have stage 4 chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is the most severe type of the disease," said Ann McKee, a neuropathologist and the director of the Boston University CTE Center.

Boston University researchers announced earlier this month that they diagnosed 345 of 376 (91.7%) former NFL players studied with CTE. She said Cross was among those diagnosed with the delayed neurodegenerative disorder.

"For the last five years of his life, Irv stopped being able to do the things he loved and his problems with his balance, memory, and delusions, were very embarrassing and depressing for him," Liz Cross, Irv's wife, said in a news release from the Concussion Legacy Foundation.

"His life became a constant struggle, and he suspected it was from CTE. Now that we know for sure, Irv would want others to learn about the disease and the risks of playing tackle football, especially for children."

Boston University researchers said they found "multiple" lesions and tangles inside Cross' brain. Common symptoms of CTE include: memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, impulse control problems, aggression, depression, dementia and more.

Researchers believe that CTE is caused by repetitive brain trauma, including concussions and other hits to the head that do not cause symptoms.

The Philadelphia Eagles announced that Cross died Feb. 28, 2021, near his home in Roseville, Minn. No cause of death was provided at the time.

The Hammond, Ind., native attended Northwestern University, where he was part of legendary coach Ara Parseghian's first recruiting class for the Wildcats.

He later entered the NFL as a seventh-round pick in the 1961 NFL Draft. Cross spent six seasons with the Eagles and three seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. He made the Pro Bowl in 1964 and 1965.

He worked as a local radio and TV sports reporter while he played in Philadelphia. He also worked as an Eagles player and defensive backs coach in 1969, his final NFL season. He kept the coaching role in 1970.

Cross joined CBS in 1971 when he became the first Black person to work as a full-time sports analyst on national TV.

He was awarded the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award in 2009, making him the first Black person to ever receive the honor. Cross also served as the athletic director at Idaho State and Macalester College.