Former Stanford Player Had CTE, Neurologist Finds: Report

PALO ALTO, CA— A former Stanford University football and baseball player was diagnosed with a brain disease after his accidental overdose death in 2020, according to an Arizona sports website.

Sports360AZ released a documentary about Zach Hoffpauir's life Monday, revealing for the first time that he had Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). Hoffpauir was 26 when he died.

According to the Alzheimer's Association, CTE "is a progressive and fatal brain disease associated with repeated traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), including concussions and repeated blows to the head." CTE can only be diagnosed after death.

After Hoffpauir's death in 2020, his parents sent his brain to CTE researchers at Boston University. As Sports360AZ reports, the director of the CTE Center there said Hoffpauir had stage two CTE.

Read more or watch the documentary via Sports360AZ.