Former NFL player who committed suicide diagnosed with CTE

Adrian Robinson Jr. is the latest former NFL player to be diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, after his death.

Robinson, a linebacker who was with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers and Washington Redskins over the 2012 and 2013 seasons, committed suicide in May this year. He was 25 years old. The Associated Press confirmed the findings of CTE in his brain through officials at the NFL brain bank at Boston University.

The term CTE has become well known over the past few years, as more research is done on the effects of head trauma and concussions on the brains of former football players. The AP report said 88 of 92 NFL players whose brains have been tested posthumously at Boston University have shown evidence of CTE.

The Robinson family put out a statement, via PennLive.com:

“During his football career Adrian endured several concussions and we now know that he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). This disease has been linked to symptoms in other NFL players such as dementia, aggression, depression, and in many cases suicide. This diagnosis has helped us gain a better understanding of Adrian’s passing. We would like to thank the CTE Center at Boston University for their exhaustive clinical and pathological review of Adrian’s case.”

Robinson also played for Temple University. Family lawyer Ben Andreozzi told the AP that Robinson had several concussions during his two NFL seasons.

“He went from being one of the nicest guys you’d ever want to talk to, to having a darker edge at times,” Andreozzi told the AP. “The family started noticing changes in his behavior, and didn’t know why.”

The AP story said the family hasn’t filed a lawsuit over his death.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab