'Concussion' Dr. Bennet Omalu says O.J. Simpson likely has CTE brain disease

Dr. Bennet Omalu, whose story was recently propelled into the limelight with the Will Smith-led movie Concussion, suggested that Simpson really might have suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE..

TheGrio Staff

Jan 27, 2016

Remember when everyone laughed at OJ Simpson’s suggestion that his armed robbery and kidnapping conviction was fueled by the concussions he sustained while he was in the NFL? It turns out he might have been right.

Dr. Bennet Omalu, whose story was recently propelled into the limelight with the Will Smith-led movie Concussion, suggested that Simpson really might have suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, which is a degenerative brain disease that has been linked to the repeated trauma suffered by football players.
“I would bet my medical license that he has CTE,” Omalu told PEOPLE.

Omalu noted that the symptoms of the disease included mood swings, exaggerated emotional reactions, unprovoked violence and even domestic violence.

“Given his profile,” he added, “I think it’s not an irresponsible conclusion to suspect he has CTE.”