Report: Chris Henry had brain damage at time of death

CINCINNATI - Researchers have found that the late Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry had brain damage at the time of his death.

Scientists at the Brain Injury Research Institute at West Virginia University have determined that Henry had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a form of degenerative brain damage caused by multiple hits to the head.

Henry died in December 2009 after falling or jumping out of the back of a pickup truck following a confrontation with his fiancee.

ESPN reports that researchers have now discovered CTE in the brains of more than 50 deceased former athletes, including more than a dozen NFL and college players, pro wrestler Chris Benoit and NHL player Reggie Fleming.

ESPN also reports that many of the former athletes diagnosed with this form of brain damage died under unusual circumstances.

Researchers are scheduled to hold a news conference Monday alongside Chris Henry's mother, Carolyn Lee Henry, to talk more about Henry's brain damage and how this information impacts other athletes.

There is no word if this discovery means anything in the investigation of Henry's death.

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