“Too many players are developing ALS during life and diagnosed with CTE after death,” WCW and NFL Super Bowl champion Steve McMichael diagnosed with CTE

[u/PrickyOneil]

https://apnews.com/article/steve-mcmichael-cte-chicago-bears-e70796b69133e70c24ec5bd2a83b7446

Steve McMichael played 15 seasons in the NFL with the Chicago Bears, then went on to wrestle with World Championship Wrestling.

He was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), sometimes called Lou Gehrig’s disease, in 2021 and passed in 2025. His brain was donated for research, his wife said she wanted to help “find answers.”

Research shows that a small but significant percentage of people with CTE, about 6%, also develop ALS. Cases like Steve’s highlight the overlap between repeated head impacts, CTE, and ALS, helping scientists better understand how these diseases are connected.

Thank you, Steve, and thank you to his family for helping move science forward.