Frank Gifford’s family says CTE found in his brain

FILE - In this Oct. 3, 2010, file photo, former New York Giants player Frank Gifford looks on during the Ring of Honor ceremony during halftime of an NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and the New York Giants at New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The family of Pro Football Hall of Famer Frank Gifford says signs of the degenerative disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy were found in his brain after his death. In a statement released through NBC News on Wednesday, the family says Gifford suffered from unspecified “cognitive and behavioral symptoms” in his later years. He died suddenly of natural causes at his Connecticut home in August at age 84. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File) FILE - In this Oct. 3, 2010, file photo, former New York Giants player Frank Gifford looks on during the Ring of Honor ceremony during halftime of an NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and the New York Giants at New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The family of Pro Football Hall of Famer Frank Gifford says signs of the degenerative disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy were found in his brain after his death. In a statement released through NBC News on Wednesday, the family says Gifford suffered from unspecified “cognitive and behavioral symptoms” in his later years. He died suddenly of natural causes at his Connecticut home in August at age 84. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)

By Associated Press November 25, 2015 2 min read

NEW YORK (AP) – The family of Pro Football Hall of Famer Frank Gifford says signs of the degenerative disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy were found in his brain after his death.

In a statement released through NBC News on Wednesday, the family said he had “experienced firsthand” symptoms associated with CTE but did not offer specifics. Gifford died of natural causes at his Connecticut home in August at age 84.

His widow, Kathie Lee Gifford, is a host for NBC’s “Today.”

The statement said that the family “made the difficult decision to have his brain studied in hopes of contributing to the advancement of medical research concerning the link between football and traumatic brain injury.”

“Our suspicions that he was suffering from the debilitating effects of head trauma were confirmed,” the Giffords added.