Former Tennessee Titans star tight end Frank Wycheck suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the degenerative brain disease linked to repeated blows to the head, at the time of his death just over a year ago.
Wycheck's family confirmed the CTE diagnosis in a statement released Thursday, 13 months after the three-time Pro Bowler died from an apparent fall inside his home.
A study of Wycheck's brain conducted at Boston University's Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center concluded that Wycheck had CTE Stage III, according to his family. Stage IV is the most severe diagnosis.
"Our family is grateful to learn of his confirmed CTE diagnosis in hopes to continue our father's desire to bring awareness, increased intervention, education, and support for NFL alumni and their families related to CTE," Wycheck's daughter, Deanna Wycheck Szabo, said in a statement. "Our hope is that NFL alumni, who believe they are suffering from CTE, will be given the much-needed resources and guidance prior to their symptoms reaching a debilitating state. With on-going CTE research and diagnosis', we hope future NFL alumni and families will be explicitly given an outline and plan of action in receiving care and treatment."
Wycheck was found dead at his Chattanooga, Tennessee, home on Dec. 9, 2023. He was 52.
The family's announcement came one day after the 25th anniversary of the "Music City Miracle," a play co-authored by Wycheck that stands as one of the most famous moments in NFL history.
At the end of the Titans' wild-card playoff game against the Buffalo Bills on Jan. 8, 2000, with Tennessee trailing 16-15 with 16 seconds remaining, Wycheck fielded a kickoff return on what promised to be the game's final series. Wycheck started to return the kickoff before throwing a lateral across the field to Kevin Dyson, who ran 75 yards to score the winning touchdown in the Titans' 22-16 victory.
Wycheck played nine of his 11 NFL seasons with the Titans/Oilers franchise and finished third in team history with 482 career receptions. He was added to the Titans' Ring of Honor in 2008, five years after retiring from the NFL. Wycheck also played two seasons with Washington.
Wycheck started working as a color commentator on the Titans Radio Network in 2005. The Titans announced before the 2017 preseason that he was stepping down from the role because of lingering head issues.
"My father put his body on the line throughout his career," Wycheck Szabo said. "He loved the game and even more so loved his teammates. After retirement, he fought for years to bring light to his post-NFL journey and the fears he had around his struggles and symptoms that he knew whole-heartedly was CTE. He often felt forgotten and ignored, and that his situation was helpless.
"Reflecting back, I wish our family had been educated on the signs and symptoms of CTE. Instead of believing that something was inherently wrong with him, we now know he was doing the best he could as a father and friend under circumstances beyond his control."