Hall of Fame Dolphins linebacker Nick Buoniconti, who was a member of the 1972 Miami team that had a perfect season, has elected to donate his brain to Boston University after his death, the school announced Friday.
Boston University School of Medicine doctors and scientists have been at the forefront of research of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and other neurodegenerative diseases.
CTE is the crippling brain disease that has been linked to football and the repetitive hits to the head that players sustain competing in the violent sport.
The late players Frank Gifford, Junior Seau, Ken Stabler, Andre Waters and Dave Duerson were all diagnosed with CTE after their deaths, and the symptoms of the disease include depression, volatile mood swings and aggressive behavior.
A Sports Illustrated feature published earlier this year detailed how Buoniconti, 76, has struggled with neurological and cognitive problems in the last six years. “I’m not normal anymore,” Buoniconti told the magazine.
Buoniconti’s son, Marc, has been paralyzed from the neck down since he suffered a spinal cord injury playing football at The Citadel in 1985. Nick co-founded The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis that same year, and father and son have been the visible faces behind raising awareness for spinal cord injuries and the research to find treatment or a cure.
“My NFL Hall of Fame father announced today that he will be donating his brain to the Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) team at Boston University and the Concussion Legacy Foundation when he passes away to help them better understand the issues affecting him, and the many others suffering from the aftermath of concussions.
“True to his nature, he continues to try and help others even while he wages his own battle. Just as he has done for me for more than 32 years as we’ve searched for a cure for paralysis, we will all stand beside him as he searches for answers,” said Marc Buoniconti, who is president of The Miami Project and the Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis.
Marc, whose book “Undefeated” was published this fall, told the Daily News in September that his father has been “going through a difficult time” with his health.
“My dad’s a proud man. My dad’s a strong guy. He’s fighting through it as much as he can,” Marc Buoniconti told The News. “Our family is strong together. We are battling together. His mind, I think, is still sharp.”
Boston University has released three studies on CTE since July. In one study, test results on 111 brains of deceased former NFL players revealed evidence of CTE in 110 (99%).
Currently CTE can only be diagnosed after death, but BU announced in September that a CTE biomarker has been discovered which may hasten the ability to diagnose the disease in the living in the near future.
