Chicago Bears Pro Bowler Steve McMichael diagnosed with CTE a year after ALS death

Hall of Fame antiaircraft tackle Steve McMichael, a cardinal subordinate of the Super Bowl XX champion Chicago Bears, has been diagnosed posthumously with Stage 3 chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the Concussion & CTE Foundation said Tuesday.

McMichael died April 23, 2025, aft a five-year conflict with ALS, besides known arsenic Lou Gehrig’s disease. He was 67.

“By sharing Steve’s diagnosis, we privation to rise consciousness of the wide transportation betwixt CTE and ALS,” McMichael’s woman Misty said successful a connection released by the Concussion & CTE Foundation.

“Too galore NFL players are processing ALS during beingness and diagnosed with CTE aft death. I donated Steve’s encephalon to animate caller probe into the nexus betwixt them.”

ALS — amyotrophic lateral sclerosis — is simply a neurological upset that destroys centrifugal neurons. CTE is simply a degenerative encephalon illness that has been recovered successful radical exposed to repetitive caput trauma; it tin beryllium diagnosed lone aft death.

McMichael’s CTE diagnosis was made by researchers astatine the Boston University CTE Center, which has recovered that respective different erstwhile NFL players suffered from some ALS and CTE. According to the center’s director, neurologist Dr. Ann McKee, astir 6% of radical with CTE besides person ALS.

“There is beardown grounds linking repetitive encephalon trauma and ALS,” McKee said.

Michael kept up with the research, according to the Concussion & CTE Foundation, and pledged to donate his encephalon to beryllium studied aft his death.

“Steve McMichael was known for his strength, toughness, and larger-than-life presence,” said Dr. Chris Nowinski, co-founder and main enforcement of the Concussion & CTE Foundation, “but his last enactment was to springiness a portion of himself backmost to the sports assemblage truthful we mightiness person a accidental to prevention ourselves.”

McMichael spent 13 of his 15 NFL seasons successful Chicago, earning Pro Bowl honors successful 1986 and 1987. He acceptable a Bears grounds playing successful 191 consecutive games from 1981 to 1993 and is 2nd connected the team’s all-time sacks database with 92.5 (he had 95 full successful his career).

After football, McMichael spent respective years arsenic a nonrecreational wrestler with World Championship Wrestling.

Bedridden successful the precocious stages of ALS, McMichael was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame successful a ceremonial from his Homer Glen, Ill., location successful 2024.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.