TAMPA, Fla. -- The Hillsborough County (Florida) Medical Examiner said Wednesday that former NFL wide receiver Vincent Jackson died from chronic alcohol use and that the manner of his February death was "natural."
The medical examiner's release comes days after the Concussion Legacy Foundation said Jackson was diagnosed with Stage 2 chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the progressive brain disease associated with repeated head trauma.
Jackson was found dead at the Homewood Suites in Brandon, Florida, after his family had reported him missing five days earlier, and after authorities had spoken with him as part of a welfare check.