Former Lions RB Mel Farr Had Stage 3 CTE at Time of Death

Former Detroit Lions running back Mel Farr, who died of a heart attack in 2015, had Stage 3 chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), according to Pia Malbran of ESPN's Outside the Lines.

Dr. Ann McKee, the director of Boston University's CTE Center and a professor of pathology and neurology at the Boston University School of Medicine, spoke about Farr's condition with Malbran.

"Mr. Farr had Stage 3 CTE, which is consistent with other football players of similar age and exposure," McKee said. "At Stage 3, the disease is widespread, but most severe in the frontal lobes as well as the medial temporal lobes, specifically the hippocampus, which plays a critical role in forming new memories, and the amygdala, which governs emotion.

"Mr. Farr had symptoms consistent with other Stage 3 cases, including memory problems, significant personality change, and behavioral symptoms. His family noted that Mr. Farr was aware of, and frustrated by, his decline." 

Farr played football for 18 years in total, according to Melbran. He spent his college career at UCLA before the Lions selected him with a first-round pick in 1967, where he'd earn Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. He played with the team through 1973 and rushed for 3,072 yards and 26 touchdowns in his professional career. He was also a two-time Pro Bowler.

"He was a fun guy, sincere guy, a loving guy," former teammate Lem Barney said at the time of Farr's death, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. "He was a guy that everybody would want on his team. You would want Mel on your team. Good instincts, great heart. Very generous and a serious guy. He's going to sorely be missed."

After his playing days ended, he went on to own a number of car dealerships in multiple states. A 2002 Automotive News report found that he had the largest black-owned business in the United States at the time, according to Malbran, with more than $568.4 million of revenue.

But Farr suspected he had CTE before his death, per Malbran, and joined a class-action lawsuit against the NFL which claims the league withheld the risks of head injuries from its players. That lawsuit has yet to be resolved.

"My dad for some time had been suffering," Farr's daughter, Monet Bartell, told Malbran. "He was losing his memory. Things he should remember, he couldn't remember."

But the family was surprised to find that Farr's condition had digressed to Stage 3 CTE.

"We didn't have to see his health deteriorate to a point where the Mel Farr that everyone knew and loved was unrecognizable," Bartell said. "Football allowed us to live out the American dream, and it's so crazy that the game that we love so much can also contribute to the death of my dad. That's a tough pill to swallow."