Irving Cross, the late two-time Pro Bowler and former Philadelphia Eagles cornerback, was posthumously diagnosed with stage 4 chronic traumatic encephalopathy, commonly known as CTE, Boston researchers announced Tuesday. Before his death on February 28, 2021 at age 81, Cross enjoyed a successful post-league career as a sports analyst for CBS News. But his life was also increasingly marked by depression, mood swings, memory loss, and delusions that both he and his family suspected were linked to the repeated head trauma he had sustained as an athlete. “He was the nicest, kindest, most helpful, wonderful man I ever met,” Cross’ widow, Liz, told the Associated Press. “But that wasn’t who he was at the end. And that wasn’t who he was. It was the disease that did that.” The founder of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, Chris Nowinski, told the AP that “it was very clear” that Cross was in distress in the final years of his life. “It’s important to highlight cases like Irv Cross’ because he was able to live a long and successful life where CTE didn’t dramatically impair him,” Nowinski said. “But at the end, it was a struggle.”
