NFL Hall of Famer Steve McMichael Diagnosed with CTE a Year After His Death at 67
McMichael's widow Misty said she's donating his brain to "raise awareness of the clear connection between ALS and CTE"
Chicago Bears Hall of Famer Steve "Mongo" McMichael at his Mongo McMichaels restaurant on April 25, 2019 in Romeoville, Illinois. Credit: Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty NEED TO KNOW Chicago Bears legend Steve McMichael was diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) one year after his death McMichael's wife Misty said the family wants "to raise awareness of the clear connection between CTE and ALS" in a statement released by the Concussion & CTE Foundation on Tuesday, April 7 McMichael died in April 2025, five years after he was diagnosed with ALS Chicago Bears legend Steve McMichael has been diagnosed with CTE, one year after his death at age 67. The Concussion and CTE Foundation said on Tuesday, April 7 that McMichael, who died in April 2025, has been posthumously diagnosed with stage 3 chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) by Boston University CTE Center researchers.
McMichael had also been diagnosed with ALS five years before his death. The Bears legend's widow, Misty McMichael, said she wants to share her husband's diagnosis to help further CTE research and public awareness. “By sharing Steve’s diagnosis, we want to raise awareness of the clear connection between CTE and ALS,” Misty, his wife of 25 years, said, adding, “Too many NFL players are developing ALS during life and diagnosed with CTE after death.
I donated Steve’s brain to inspire new research into the link between them. ” Steve McMichael on Aug. 28, 1990 in Chicago Credit: Charles Cherney/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Dr.
Ann McKee, Director of Boston University CTE Center and Chief of Neuropathology for the VA Boston Healthcare System, said in a statement, “Steve McMichael had severe CTE as well as ALS with TDP-43 inclusions typical for ALS in his brainstem and spinal cord. There is strong evidence linking repetitive brain trauma and ALS; in our CTE brain bank, about 6% of individuals with CTE also have ALS. " Dr.