TAMPA, Fla. — Former Bucs receiver Vincent Jackson suffered from chronic alcoholism and other health issues, according to autopsy reports, prior to being found dead in a Brandon hotel room, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said Wednesday.
Jackson’s family also has concerns he may have suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a progressive and fatal disease associated with concussions.
Those revelations were made by Chronister during an appearance on the M.J. Morning Show on Q105-FM.
Jackson, 38, was found dead Monday after a 911 call Monday from the Homewood Suites in Brandon, where he had been living since Jan. 11.
A few days prior to his death, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department executed a missing persons report and interviewed Jackson at the hotel.
“We got the autopsy report back that is going to be released today,” Chronister said. “Unfortunately, he suffered from chronic alcoholism. Again, just tragic. We haven’t gotten the toxicology report back, so can’t say with any certainty that was it. But a lot of longstanding health conditions that contributed to his passing because of some alcohol abuse.”
Chronister said the Jackson family suspected that the Pro Bowl receiver suffered from CTE, the result of multiple concussions during a 12-year career in the NFL with the Bucs and Chargers.
“This is just speculation, but what the family is telling me is that he suffered from CTE,” Chronister said. “They believe he had a lot of concussion problems. When you suffer from that, you’re not yourself, you’re not your normal self. And they believe wholeheartedly all of these actions are a result of what he suffered while he was playing in the NFL.”
Jackson was as well known for his charitable efforts in the community through his Jackson in Action 83 Foundation that helped military families as for his accomplishments on the field. The foundation will continue, even without its creator.
“Again, just tragic,” Chronister said. “Thirty-eight years old, and to have the impact he had on this community. He would never say no. He’s the person you would call and say, ‘Hey, I have something we want to do for a child in need, a family in need, a military member in need,’ and he was always there. I don’t know how he balanced the schedule.”
