Jovan Belcher, Kasandra Perkins' Murder Suicide: Lawyer Says NFL Player's Brain Showed Signs Of CTE Illness

On Dec. 1, 2012, former NFL player Jovan Belcher shot his girlfriend Kasandra Perkins nine times, killing her before turning the gun on himself. A year later, Belcher's family requested that his body be exhumed in the hopes of figuring out what may have led to his violent outburst. This week, the findings of his autopsy were released.

"The microscopic findings of neurofibrillary tangles in young person are fully consistent with the pathological presentation of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy as it is reported in the available medical literature," said the report, according to the Huffington Post.

According to the Boston University CTE Center, "The brain degeneration is associated with memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, impulse control problems, aggression, depression, and, eventually, progressive dementia."

Dirk Vandever, the attorney representing Belcher's young daughter Zoey, said he decided to go public with the findings of Belcher's autopsy in light of the recent concussion and domestic abuse discussions surrounding the league.

"Probably the two most significant problems that the NFL is facing is a) what does the nature of the game itself mean in terms of the health of these young men in terms of head trauma," Vandever said, according to The Guardian. "And second, what do we do about domestic violence? Here you have in Jovan Belcher somebody who had been subjected to ongoing head trauma and then erupted."

It was also announced this week that the existence of CTE was confirmed in 76 of 79 former NFL players whose brains were studied by one of the nation's largest brain banks. CTE is most often present in individuals who have received repeated head traumas.

The Chiefs refused to comment on the findings, citing their involvement in the ongoing legal case.

The NFL issued the following statement: "The NFL has a long history of a changing the rules of the game to make it safer on the field, providing players the best medical care, and updating protocols on diagnosing concussions, treating concussions, and returning to play after a concussion."