Ex-NFL player Bubba Smith had CTE at death

Former NFL defensive end and actor Bubba Smith was suffering from CTE at the time of his death.

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Former NFL defensive end and actor Bubba Smith was suffering from CTE at the time of his death, reports Ken Belson of the New York Times.

The diagnoses was made by researchers affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs, Boston University and the Concussions Legacy Foundation.

A first-team All-Pro with the Baltimore Colts in 1971, Smith died in 2011 at the age of 66 from an overdose of Phentermine, a weight-loss drug. 

He is the 90th former NFL player to be diagnosed with CTE since 2008. 

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Smith was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1967 draft out of Michigan State and played nine NFL seasons. He later became an actor, most known for playing the character Moses Hightower in the Police Academy series.