NFL-Former Raiders QB Stabler suffered from brain disease: report

Feb 3 (Reuters) - Super Bowl-winning Oakland Raiders quarterback Ken "The Snake" Stabler, who died last July of colon cancer, suffered from the degenerative brain disease CTE, the New York Times reported on Wednesday. Stabler, who was 69 when he became a victim of colon cancer, is the latest in a growing list of former NFL players found to have suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, which is linked to repeated head trauma. A colorful player who was nicknamed "The Snake" because of his elusive running style, Stabler had requested that his brain be donated to researchers to study for patterns of CTE after his mind had become increasingly erratic in his final years. On a scale of 1 to 4, Stabler was found to have high Stage 3 CTE after research was conducted at Boston University, the New York Times reported. Dr. Ann McKee, the chief of neuropathology at the V.A. Boston Healthcare System and a professor of neurology and pathology at Boston University School of Medicine who conducted the examination, said Stabler had "moderately severe" disease. "Pretty classic," McKee was quoted as saying in the report. "It may be surprising since he was a quarterback, but certainly the lesions were widespread, and they were quite severe, affecting many regions of the brain." Stabler, the NFL's Most Valuable Player in 1974 who led the league in touchdown passes in 1974 and 1976, joins a tragic list of former NFL players who showed signs of CTE that also includes Pro Football Hall of Famers Junior Seau, Mike Webster and Frank Gifford. Some 5,000 former players have sued the NFL, claiming it hid the dangers of repeated head trauma, and agreed to a settlement that could cost the league $1 billion. The settlement is under appeal. Future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning, whose Denver Broncos take on the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 in San Francisco on Sunday, paid tribute to Stabler on Wednesday. "Ken Stabler was a friend of my dad (Archie)," Manning told reporters. "I got to know him fairly well over the past years and the NFL quarterback fraternity lost a great one, lost a legend, when we lost 'The Snake.' "I reached out to his family and told them they were in my thoughts and prayers. I haven't had time to process the other information. What a prince of a guy. What a great leader. He truly was one of a kind." Stabler played with the Raiders through the 1970s, then spent two years with the Houston Oilers before winding up his career in 1984 after three seasons with the New Orleans Saints. He threw for 194 career touchdowns and 27,938 yards over 15 seasons, was a four-time Pro Bowl selection and led the Raiders to Super Bowl glory in January 1977 with a 32-14 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. (Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Frank Pingue)