Brain Damage May Have Played Role In Death Of Former Quarterback

In May, former Division II football star and Ravens quarterback Cullen Finnerty was found dead in the Michigan woods near his family's fishing cottage. At the time, Finnerty's cause of death was not apparent, but an autopsy has revealed that Finnerty died of pneumonia, and that chronic brain damage known as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) may have played a role in his death.

The New York Times highlights a portion of the autopsy report:

How he died was not explained for more than two months. Finnerty had been taking oxycodone for severe back pain. “A likely sequence of events on the night of death includes anxiety, disorientation and paranoia from being alone in the woods,” the report said. “Those emotions could have been exacerbated by an elevated oxycodone level combined with C.T.E.”

At the time of his disappearance, Finnerty's family told law enforcement officials that they were worried that Finnerty was suffering through a "mental episode."

[ NYT]