Thomas Jones will donate his brain for degenerative brain disease research
Thomas Jones is retired from the National Football League, yet his heart is still there. He proved it by announcing that upon his death, he will donate his brain to science, so that it may be studied for traces of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, referred to as CTE.
Jones’ brain will go to the Sports Legacy Institute, an organization founded in 2007 whose mission is to “advance the study, treatment, and prevention of the effects of brain trauma in athletes and other at-risk groups.”
It is Jones’ fear of developing CTE that spurned his decision.
Of his own experiences with concussions while playing in the NFL, he tells Jane McManus of ESPN…
Honestly, like I couldn’t give you a number because you just play with them,” Jones said. “You can’t know; nobody does. I think the guys counting the concussions were the ones that got knocked out.
According to SLI, more than 600 athletes have donated their brains for research.
Most recently, after his tragic death, the family of Junior Seau agreed to have his brain studied by the National Institutes of Health, which revealed he suffered CTE.
