Former Patriots Draft Pick Diagnosed with CTE

Steve "Mongo" McMichael, who was originally a third-round draft pick by the New England Patriots in 1980, has been diagnosed posthumously with stage three CTE.

The NFL Hall of Famer passed in 2025 at age 67 following a five-year battle with ALS. McMichael was a key member of the defense that allowed the 1985 Chicago Bears to defeat the Patriots by a score of 46-10 in Super Bowl XX. CTE is a degenerative brain disease that has been found in athletes in contact sports, combat veterans and others exposed to constant and repetitive head trauma. The Concussion & CTE Foundation made the announcement surrounding McMichael's stage three CTE diagnosis on April 7.

CTE can only be diagnosed following death.

ESPN has reported that a 2021 study by the Harvard Medical School and the Boston University CTE Center indicates that NFL players are more than four times more likely to develop ALS than other men.

Steve "Mongo" McMichael Diagnosed With CTE Following Battle With ALS

A two-time All-Pro and 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, McMichael was also known as "Mongo" and "Ming The Merciless" while playing in a franchise-record 191 consecutive games from 1981-93.

Misty McMichael — McMichael's surviving wife — said she donated her husband's brain to help inspire research

"Too many NFL players are developing ALS during life and diagnosed with CTE after death," Misty said in a statement released by the foundation. "I donated Steve's brain to inspire new research into the link between them."