Ex-Falcons LB Tommy Nobis Had Most Severe Form of CTE, Per Researchers

Longtime Atlanta Falcons linebacker Tommy Nobis suffered from the "most severe form" of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) prior to his death at the age of 74 in 2017.

According to Jimmy Golen of the Associated Press, Boston University CTE Center Director Dr. Ann McKee said Monday that Nobis' brain showed a "severe loss of neurons and large CTE lesions throughout the cerebral cortex."

Nobis spent 11 years with the Falcons as an NFL player from 1966-1976.

Nobis' daughter, Devon Jackoniski, told the AP how her father felt about football in his later years: "He told me before he became very ill he would never turn his back on football or do anything different. But he would educate kids a little different in the game. There's something very wrong with slamming your head against a brick wall over and over and over again."

Jackoniski noted that Nobis was "aggressive" and "intense," and she added his volatility was most obvious at home: "We were pretty uneasy growing up. Although my dad had just some beautiful moments of being a wonderful man, emotionally he was so unstable it was just hard to get close to him."

When the Falcons entered the NFL as an expansion team in 1966, they selected Nobis with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft out of Texas.

Nobis went on to become NFL Rookie of the Year and a five-time Pro Bowler.

Both the Falcons and the University of Texas retired Nobis' No. 60, and he ultimately earned the nickname "Mr. Falcon."

After retirement, Nobis spent 40 years in the Falcons' front office in a number of different roles.

While Nobis was revered in football circles, Jackoniski stressed that the sport took a toll on him and the way he acted outside of it: "I don't know that I ever saw my dad without showing signs of CTE, my entire life. In hindsight, I think that was the saddest part of the news. His children never even knew who he was. My mom even may have not known."

On Sunday, Super Bowl LIII between the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams will be held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, the city Nobis was most synonymous with.