Former NFL running back Larry Johnson said he believes he suffers from CTE, the neurodegenerative disease that has stricken football players’ brains.
The 38-year-old who last played in 2011 told The Washington Post that he battles self-destructive impulses that he calls ‘demons’ which he thinks were caused by consistent blows to the head during his career where he set the record for carrying the ball more than any other player.
Though he believes CTE is to blame for his erratic behavior, doctors cannot diagnose the disease until after death.
Johnson described his symptoms of anxiety, paranoia, intense headaches and violence and likens himself to former player Aaron Hernandez who was found to have the worst-reported case of the disease after he took his life while in jail for murder.
