Vincent Jackson’s brain donated for CTE research

Fresh information regarding the death of former Chargers receiver Vincent Jackson came to light on Thursday and there’s now speculation that Jackson may have been dead for “up to three days” prior to hotel staff calling 911 on Feb. 15, local NBC news affiliate WFLA 8 reported.

Jackson, 38, was found dead at the Homewood Suites on Palm River Road in Brandon, Florida, on Feb. 15.

The new information released by the medical examiner’s office came on the same day that Jackson’s family confirmed that they are donating his brain to the Boston University’s CTE Center in an effort to learn more about his death, according to ESPN.

According to a timeline iterated by the hotel staff, and following the welfare check the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office carried out on Jackson on Feb. 12, workers entered his room on Feb 13 and 14th. Both times the staff said he was seated on his couch and slightly slouched over. They deemed he may have been sleeping and left the room. But on the 15th, with Jackson found once again in the same position, the staff finally made the 911 call.

As previously reported, there were no signs of trauma and zero medications were found at the scene. However, the report did list “alcohol use” and “smokeless tobacco use” under his social history. The exact cause of death is still pending further study.

“There cannot be a rush to judgment in determining cause and manner of death,” said Michelle Van Dyke, a spokesperson for the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner in an email to ESPN. “At this time, there is no timeframe for the completion of the autopsy report for Mr. Jackson, though the Medical Examiner anticipates it may take several months.”

Jackson’s brain being sent to BU for further research will hopefully shed some more light on what exactly happened to him. Since CTE can only be diagnosed posthumously with a special autopsy, fans and the public will have to wait some time to find out just what Jackson was dealing with in his post-playing career.

As family spokesperson Allison Gorrell told ESPN: “If anything can be learned from his death that might help someone else, Vincent would want that since he was passionate during his life about impacting others around him.”