Former Buccaneers, Chargers WR Vincent Jackson had stage 2 CTE

Vincent Jackson, the former wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Chargers, had stage 2 chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.

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Jackson had been found dead in a hotel room in Florida earlier this year.

Hotel staff said the former player checked into the Homewood Suites in Brandon, Florida, on Jan. 11 and was found dead more than a month later, WFTS reported.

>>Related: NFL player Phillip Adams had severe traumatic brain disease, coroner finds

His family had reported him missing on Feb. 10, but law enforcement had spoken to him on Feb. 12. A hotel housekeeper found him dead Feb. 15 and there were no signs of trauma, according to WFTS.

The Concussion Legacy Foundation announced Jackson’s CTE diagnosis Thursday, ESPN reported.

Jackson’s brain had been donated to the VA-BU-CLF Brain Bank run by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Boston University and the Concussion Legacy Foundation.

The center is trying to develop a diagnostic test for CTE in an effort to prevent further deaths. Currently, CTE is determined after death and not via a traditional autopsy, according to ESPN. They are also working on tests for genetic and environmental risk factors, the importance of age at first injury and duration of the person’s career and how it impacts CTE and potential treatments.

>>Related: Former Buccaneers, Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson found dead in Florida hotel

“Vincent dedicated so much of his life to helping others. Even in his passing, I know he would want to continue that same legacy,” Lindsey Jackson, the late player’s wife, said in a statement.

Vincent Jackson retired from the NFL in 2016, WFLA reported.

He was the second player this week announced to have had CTE when he died. Former player Phillip Adams also had CTE when he shot and killed himself earlier this year after killing six people in South Carolina, The Associated Press reported.

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