The late Frank Wycheck, remembered for the pass that opened the iconic show “Music City Miracle,” suffered from advanced stage chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the researchers said.
Wycheck died in December 2023 after suffering a fall at his home in Tennessee. He has made it clear that he wants to work with experts to research CTE and related brain injuries.
A study of Wycheck’s brain by researchers from Boston University’s Center for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy confirmed the first Tennessee Titans The veteran tight end also suffered from a degenerative brain disease during the final years of his life.
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Frank Wycheck of the Tennessee Titans on the field against the Cincinnati Bengals at the Adelphia Coliseum in Nashville, December 10, 2000. (Scott Halleran/Allsport)
Wycheck was diagnosed with CTE stage III. Stage IV is the most severe form of the disease and can lead to dementia, memory loss and depression. CTE can occur after repeated head injuries, such as concussions or blows to the head, according to Mayo Clinic.
A study from 2017 conducted by the Boston University CTE Center concluded that the brains of 99% of former NFL players had at least traces of neurodegenerative disease. Researchers studied the brains of 202 former soccer players.
Wycheck, a three-time Pro Bowl tight end, played NFL from 1993 and 2003, starting with Washington and ending his career with the Houston Oilers organization, which moved to Tennessee and became the Titans.
Wycheck’s family said in a statement that they are grateful for the diagnosis, which they believe further highlights concerns about CTE in contact sports like football. They want to honor his legacy with a stronger commitment to player safety and support for those affected by head injuries.
His daughters said their family had challenges understanding the physical and mental changes Wycheck was experiencing, thinking he was just missing the limelight of his career.
Frank Wycheck celebrates the Tennessee Titans’ victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC divisional playoff game in Nashville, January 11, 2003. (Simon Bruty/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
“We witnessed our father become increasingly isolated and experience drastic mood swings. He became more impulsive, often inconsistent and unreliable,” Deanna Wycheck Szabo said in a statement. “Looking back now, I understand that he suffered from symptoms of CTE due to the repeated trauma his brain and body endured over 11 seasons in the NFL.”
Former Tennessee Titans tight end Frank Wycheck runs onto the field before the game against the San Diego Chargers at LP Field on September 22, 2013 in Nashville. (Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)
Szabo said Wycheck loved football and his teammates. She said that for years after his retirement, he struggled to bring attention to the symptoms and problems he knew stemmed from CTE, feeling too often ignored and helpless. Szabo also said she wishes her family had been educated about the symptoms of CTE so they would know what to look for and now hopes for increased intervention, education and support for NFL alumni and their families.
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“Instead of believing there was something wrong with him, we now know he was doing the best he could as a father and friend under circumstances that were beyond his control,” Szabo said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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