West Michigan native, former WMU and Cowboys player Marshawn Kneeland had early stage CTE

GRAND RAPIDS, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – West Michigan native Marshawn Kneeland has been diagnosed posthumously with Stage 1 CTE.

The former Dallas Cowboys and Western Michigan University defensive end killed himself in November at the age of 24.

Kneeland’s family donated his brain for research by the Boston University CTE Center, and the disease can only be diagnosed after death.

CTE has four stages, and center director Dr. Ann McKee says the result was not surprising as CTE has been found in over half of the athletes they studied who died before 30-years-old.