Bubba Smith, known for his big plays on the football field before he became a popular actor, was posthumously diagnosed with CTE, Ken Belson of the New York Times reports.
Per the report, Smith is now the 90th ex-NFL player to have been diagnosed with the brain disease by Boston University, which has examined 94 former players since the beginning of the study.
“On a scale of 1 to 4 used by the neuropathologist who examined Smith’s brain, Smith had Stage 3 C.T.E., with symptoms that included cognitive impairment and problems with judgment and planning,” Belson wrote.
Smith was a two-time Pro Bowler, made the NFL’s First-Team All-Pro squad once and won a Super Bowl with the Colts in 1970. He finished his career during the time before sack stats were tallied but was known as a disruptive force throughout his nine-year career with the Baltimore Colts, Oakland Raiders and Houston Oilers.
After his NFL career concluded, Smith went on to co-star in many television series and is best known for his role as Moses Hightower in “Police Academy.”