OJ Simpson’s family refuses to donate brain to science
(WFLA) — Former NFL running back OJ Simpson will be cremated Tuesday, according to his estate executor.
However, attorney Malcolm Lavergne told NBC News that the Simpson family got at least one request to from a man who claimed he wanted the deceased NFL star’s brain to see if he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, also known as CTE.
“That’s a hard no,” LaVergne added. “His entire body, including his brain, will be cremated.”
CTE is associated with repeated head injuries that cause nerve death in the brain, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Scientists don’t understand the condition fully, but it is said that it gets worse over time and can only be diagnosed after death.
“CTE has been found in the brains of people who played U.S. football and other contact sports, including boxing,” the Mayo Clinic states. “It also may occur in military members who were exposed to explosive blasts. Symptoms of CTE are thought to include trouble with thinking and emotions, physical problems, and other behaviors. It’s thought that these develop years to decades after head trauma occurs.