Brain Injuries Likely Played Role in Penn Player's Death

A Penn football player who killed himself last April was suffering from the same degenerative brain disease that afflicts many NFL players, according to an autopsy.

KYW's Paul Kurtz reports Boston University researchers reportedly conducted a brain autopsy of 21-year-old Owen Thomas and found that he was in the early stages of a disease caused by repeated blows to the head.

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy has been found in more than 20 NFL players who died, including former Eagles safety, Andre Waters, who committed suicide in 2006.

Thomas, a Penn captain, hanged himself in April.

Though he never suffered a concussion, doctors believe a series of smaller hits during his playing days lead to the development of the disease. At 21, he is the youngest known football player to show signs of the condition.