"Alcohol made him feel calm" - Former NFL player Vincent Jackson's cause of death revealed
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Vincent Jackson suddenly passed away last February, shocking everyone who knew and loved him. Just last week, it was revealed that Jackson did suffer from Stage 2 Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE, as shown by the damage to his brain.
Jackson's family said that he was never officially diagnosed with a concussion or other brain damage, leading to more concerns about the trauma that happens to NFL players, even on a daily basis, without a known injury.
This week, the Florida medical examiner also revealed that Jackson's cause of death was chronic alcohol use. Jackson showed signs of alcohol-related cardiovascular disease, as well as kidney failure.
Lindsey Jackson, Vincent's wife, said Jackson, who was just 38 years old when he died, did have an issue with alcohol dependency. Lindsey Jackson, in a sad revelation, said that Vincent would turn to alcohol to calm himself.
"He shared with me once that alcohol made him feel calm," Lindsey Jackson, his widow, said, according to the station. "He said it 'made him feel like himself and that his brain was really fuzzy and this made it not fuzzy.'"
Former WR Vincent Jackson was a pillar of his community
The family of former Bucs receiver Vincent Jackson announced today that Jackson, who died at age 38 in February, was diagnosed by brain researchers as having stage 2 CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy). His family is sharing to help raise public awareness for CTE.
Vincent Jackson was reported missing by his family after checking into a hotel in January 2021. When the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office made contact with Jackson, nothing appeared to be off. Jackson wasn't being held against his will, and they couldn't force him to leave.
"Vincent was a consummate professional, who took a great deal of pride in his performance on and off the football field. Vincent was a dedicated father, husband, businessman and philanthropist who made a deep impact on our community through his unyielding advocacy for military families, supported by the Jackson in Action 83 Foundation," -Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Just three days after the Sheriff's Office spoke with Jackson, he was found dead in his hotel room by a housekeeper. Just days after his former team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had won their second-ever Super Bowl.
Researchers at Boston University found that the late Vincent Jackson's brain and behavior showed common signs of CTE -- a "brilliant, disciplined, gentle giant" who in his 30s dealt with depression, memory loss, paranoia and "eventually extreme social isolation."
Vincent Jackson played 12 seasons in the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft out of Northern Colorado. Jackson had over 9,000 receiving yards in his career and 57 touchdowns.
Jackson last played in the National Football League in 2016 and officially retired in 2018. Following his retirement, Vincent Jackson was a pillar in the Tampa community for his philanthrophy and his work with military families, something that was near and dear to his heart.