Report: Ex-NFL Player Phillip Adams, Who Killed Six People Before Ending His Own Life, Had CTE

According to a new report, former NFL player Phillip Adams, who murdered six people before killing himself in April, suffered from the brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

Ann McKee, a neuropathologist and director of Boston University CTE Center, conducted a study of the deceased player’s brain and claims to have found evidence of the disease present, USA Today reports.

McKee says that Adams exhibited “stage 2” CTE and that his frontal lobe showed evidence of “severe” damage similar to that found in the brain of convicted murderer and former NFL player Aaron Hernandez, who committed suicide in 2017 after being convicted of murdering two men.

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – DECEMBER 08: Phillip Adams #28 of the Oakland Raiders looks into the crowd during the first half against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on December 8, 2013 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Jets defeat the Raiders 37-27. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

CTE has been linked to wild mood changes and behavioral issues. The cause of the disease has been linked to injuries, and repeated concussions suffered by football players and is an issue that the NFL has struggled to confront.

“So, we have seen this behavior. We have even seen homicidal behavior in other individuals diagnosed with CTE,” Dr. McKee said. “It’s difficult to say that it alone resulted in these behaviors because usually, it’s a complicated issue with many other factors. But, certainly, we have seen this behavior, and it is in fact not what I would consider unusual in this disease.”

Adams had legally prescribed amphetamines and an over-the-counter drug called Kratom in his system.

ROCK HILL, SC – APRIL 08: Jack Logan, founder of Put Down the Guns Young People, places stuffed animals and flowers outside of Riverview Family Medicine and Urgent Care after the fatal shooting of Dr. Robert Lesslie and four others the previous day on April 8, 2021 in Rock Hill, South Carolina. York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson announced that former NFL player Phillip Adams shot and killed Lesslie, his wife Barbara Lesslie, their grandchildren Adah Lesslie and Noah Lesslie, and James Lewis, a man working at their home, before Adams shot and killed himself. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

In April, Adams reportedly killed five people in South Carolina, including a prominent local doctor and his family. Adams shot and killed Dr. Robert Lesslie, 70, Barbara Lesslie, 69, and their grandchildren Adah Lesslie, 9, and Noah Lesslie, 5. Adams also shot down two other men, one of whom survived, but a second, James Lewis, 38, died. Around seven hours later, Adams killed himself with a .45 caliber handgun.

Adams’ father told the media that his son was “messed up” by concussions playing football and that the injuries likely played a part in his son’s death.

“I can say he’s a good kid. I think the football messed him up,” said Alonzo Adams, the father of the one-time Oakland Raiders player, according to WCNC.

Phillip Adams was selected in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers, but he soon broke his ankle during a game against the St. Louis Rams. The 49ers released him the following year, and he bounced around from the Patriots, Seahawks to the Raiders, the Jets, and the Falcons until ending his career in 2015.

Along with the ankle injury, Adams also suffered several concussions during his football career.

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