Former Bucs star's death another 'wake-up call’ for football

The late Vincent Jackson, who became a prominent Tampa businessman after his retirement from the NFL, suffered from a degenerative brain disease common in ex-football players.

By Brian Hartz
| 12:10 p.m. December 23, 2021
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File. Vincent Jackson became a successful businessman and philanthropist after retiring from football in 2016.

News

The late Vincent Jackson, a star wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2012 to 2016, suffered from stage 2 chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease caused by repetitive head trauma, according to a Dec. 16 news release issued by Jackson’s family and the Concussion Legacy Foundation.

Jackson was found dead, at age 38, in a Brandon hotel room Feb. 15 with no visible signs of physical injury or trauma. His cause of death remained a mystery, but speculation centered on CTE, common in retired NFL players who’ve sustained concussions.