Former Eagles CB Irv Cross Had Stage 4 CTE; Died in 2021

Former NFL cornerback Irv Cross, who died on Feb. 28, 2021, was found to have had stage 4 chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

According to the Concussion Legacy Foundation, Cross' family announced on Tuesday that Boston University researchers diagnosed him with the disease.

"For the last five years of his life Irv stopped being able to do the things he loved and his problems with his balance, memory, and delusions, were very embarrassing and depressing for him," Liz Cross, Irv's wife, said. "His life became a constant struggle, and he suspected it was from CTE. Now that we know for sure, Irv would want others to learn about the disease and the risks of playing tackle football, especially for children."

Per the Concussion Legacy Foundation, stage 4 CTE is the most severe stage of the disease and "usually associated with dementia." A total of 345 former NFL players have been diagnosed with CTE out of 376 studied by the Boston University research team.

Cross told Frank Fitzpatrick of the Philadelphia Inquirer in September 2018 he had been diagnosed with mild cognitive dementia and was donating his brain to Northeastern University to be tested for CTE after his death.

"(CTE) has affected a lot of players from my generation," Cross said to Fitzpatrick. "We didn't think about things like safety."

The Associated Press quoted Liz Cross explaining her husband "saw things that weren't there" and would often grimace from headaches that wouldn't go away toward the end of his life.

"He was the nicest, kindest, most helpful, wonderful man I ever met," Liz said. "But that wasn't who he was at the end. And that wasn't who he was. It was the disease that did that."

Dr. Ann McKee, a professor of neurology and pathology at Boston University, said in the AP report there is more education and awareness about the risks of football and concussion management, but "we're way, way behind where we should be."

Cross played nine seasons in the NFL from 1961 to '69. He spent six seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles and three with the Los Angeles Rams.

Following his retirement as a player, Cross became the first Black sports analyst on television when he was hired by CBS Sports in 1971. He remained with the network through 1994.

Cross died at the age of 81 due to ischemic cardiomyopathy.