Former Bucs Player, Vincent Jackson, Cause Of Death Determined: Brain Trauma

BRANDON, FL — The family of Vincent Jackson, a former Tampa Bay Buccaneers player, recently released his cause of death following the discovery of his body in a Brandon hotel in February, multiple news outlets have reported.

WFLA reported that his family said Thursday he had been suffering from a degenerative brain disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). CTE is caused by repetitive trauma to the head, and is common among NFL football players and military veterans, according to Dictionary.com.

"Vincent Jackson was a brilliant, disciplined, gentle giant whose life began to change in mide-30s," Dr. Ann McKee, chief of neuropathology for the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, said in an ABC News interview. "He became depressed, with progressive memory loss, problem-solving difficulties, paranoia, and eventually extreme social isolation."

McKee said it shouldn't be a surprise that his brain showed stage 2 CTE as these results have become commonplace. Jackson played 12 seasons in the NFL before he retired in 2018. He began playing football at 12 years old—playing a total of 23 years.

"...What is surprising is that so many football players have died with CTE and so little is being done to make football, at all levels, safer by limiting the number of repetitive subconcussive hits," McKee said. "CTE will not disappear by ignoring it, we need to actively address the risk that football poses to brain health and to support the players who are struggling."

Jackson's family wanted to share the findings of his brain study to help raise awareness for the risks of CTE. According to

His widow, Lindsey Jackson, said to ABC News Thursday morning that he suffered memory issues. "He shared with me once that alcohol made him feel calm and made him feel like himself, and that his brain was really fuzzy. And that this made it not fuzzy."

His behavior had also turned erratic.

As his mental health began to decline, the couple decided they needed a break. He moved into Homewood Suites in Brandon, and had been found dead by a housekeeper Feb. 15. He was 38 years old when he died. Jackson did not know he had brain damage. He had never been diagnosed with a concussion, according to his widow.

Related Patch Story:

• Former Bucs Player Vincent Jackson Found Dead In Hotel Room