The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper The Spokesman-Review
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
Current Temperature
59°F
Current Conditions
Broken clouds
View complete weather report
Subscribe now

Leonard Marshall, Matt Hasselbeck pledge brains to research

At left, in a Sept. 19, 2016, file photo, Matt Hasselbeck talks during ESPN's Monday Night Countdown before an NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and the Philadelphia Eagles in Chicago. At right, in a Nov. 10, 2015, file photo, former NFL football player Leonard Marshall smiles at the world premiere gala screening of the film "Concussion" during the 2015 AFI Fest at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. Two-time Super Bowl champion Leonard Marshall and three-time Pro Bowl selection Matt Hasselbeck say they will donate their brains to the Concussion Legacy Foundation for research into chronic traumatic encephalopathy. The announcements were made on Wednesday, May 17, 2017, as part of the second annual Brain Trust conference, which is hosted by the Veterans Administration. (Associated Press)
Associated Press

BOSTON – Two more retired football stars have pledged their brains to research.

Two-time Super Bowl champion Leonard Marshall and three-time Pro Bowl selection Matt Hasselbeck say they will donate their brains to the Concussion Legacy Foundation for research into chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

The announcements were made Wednesday as part of the second annual Brain Trust conference, which is hosted by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Marshall says he already has short-term memory loss and erratic behavior. The former New York Giants defensive lineman is 55. Hasselbeck’s father, Don, was a teammate of Marshall’s on the Giants and pledged his brain to the foundation in 2010.

More than 1,800 former athletes and military veterans have pledged to donate their brains to the Concussion Legacy Foundation for CTE research. The progressive degenerative brain disease has been linked to repeated head trauma.