Eight months after Marshawn Kneeland 's death, researchers at Boston University's CTE center have posthumously diagnosed the former Cowboys defensive end with Stage 1 of chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
Reacting to Kneeland's diagnosis on Tuesday, Dr. Chris Nowinski, a neuroscientist and founding CEO of the Concussion and CTE Foundation, used his X account to create awareness surrounding CTE and its current impact on the football landscape as a whole.
Nowinski, who was also famously nicknamed "Chris Harvard" in the WWE circuit during his time in the ring, discussed how today's players are still vulnerable to developing CTE.
"Sad to learn Marshawn Kneeland, who died in the middle of his 2nd NFL season last year, had CTE. Unfortunately, we have no evidence that recent football reforms are enough to reduce the risk of CTE in current players. Football must begin to act on CTE with a sense of URGENCY," Nowinski WROTE.
In the Concussion and CTE Foundation's Tuesday release, Nowinski further called for CTE prevention protocols and reduction of head impacts at every level of the game.
Kneeland, 24, succumbed to a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Nov. 6 and was found dead in a parking circle in Frisco, Texas, just moments after he crashed his vehicle into a pickup truck.
After starring for the Western Michigan Broncos, defensive lineman Marshawn Kneeland was picked up by the Dallas Cowboys as the 56th pick of the 2024 NFL draft.
In the 18 games played for Dallas, Kneeland accumulated 15 solo stops, 11 assisted tackles and a sack over two seasons, with his last game coming against the Arizona Cardinals on Nov. 4.
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