Ryan Hoffman, Former UNC Football Player, Found to Have CTE in Postmortem Study

Former North Carolina Tar Heels left tackle Ryan Hoffman was found to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, in a study conducted by Boston University and Concussion Legacy Foundation researchers.   

Juliet Macur of the New York Times reported the news Tuesday, indicating Hoffman's family was notified of his postmortem CTE diagnosis this past Friday. Macur also reported what Hoffman's sister, Kira Soto, said about the findings in a phone call from Monday:

"

I wanted to know exactly what happened to my brother, and I just knew football did it. I've been looking into this for 15 years and defended him when people said it was just the drugs and judged him for something he couldn't help, something that he struggled with. Well, we know now. We know.

"

Boston University School of Medicine professor Dr. Ann McKee specified to Macur that Hoffman had Stage 2 CTE, which is the same as was found in the brain of legendary NFL linebacker Junior Seau. McKee's stages go from 0 to 4, with the latter being the most severe.

Hoffman died in November 2015 at only 41 years old in an accident when another vehicle struck him while he was riding a bicycle in Haines City, Florida.

Per Macur, according to the city's assistant police chief, Brian J. McNulty, the investigation into Hoffman's accident is still ongoing since his autopsy isn't yet complete.

When Macur wrote about Hoffman last year, he said he was addicted to prescription medication and alcohol. He also said he'd sold drugs to try to make ends meet since he was homeless.

Hoffman insisted his brain was "keeping him from being a productive member of society" and was "pretty sure that football had something to do with it." Stage 2 CTE, according to Dr. McKee, includes symptoms such as short-term memory loss, depression, mood swings and decreased impulse control.