Conrad Dobler's family to donate ex-NFL lineman's brain for CTE research

Josh Peter, USA TODAY
·2 min read

Conrad Dobler’s brain is being donated to researchers studying the the link traumatic brain injury and CTE, two children of the former NFL standout told USA TODAY Sports Wednesday.

Dobler, a three-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman whose NFL career spanned from 1972-81, died Monday in Pueblo, Colorado, at 72. His son, Stephen, and daughter, Holli, said there will be no effort to identify a cause of death until his brain is studied at Boston University's Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) Center.

Along with his brain, Dobler’s spine and other tissue will be donated to the program at Boston University.

“He was very proactive in really wanting to donate his brain for future players to get ahead,’’ Stephen Dobler said, “And he was very strong in believing that he probably have CTE.’’

FILE - St. Louis Cardinals' Conrad Dobler (66) leads the march off the field at the end of practice at the Cardinals' training camp at St. Charles, Mo., Aug. 5, 1977. Dobler, one of the NFL's top offensive linemen with the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1970s, has died. He was 72. The Cardinals announced Dobler died Monday,
FILE - St. Louis Cardinals' Conrad Dobler (66) leads the march off the field at the end of practice at the Cardinals' training camp at St. Charles, Mo., Aug. 5, 1977. Dobler, one of the NFL's top offensive linemen with the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1970s, has died. He was 72. The Cardinals announced Dobler died Monday,

Holli Dobler said over the past five years her father struggled increasingly with memory loss, decision making and day-to-day activity.

“It was degenerative,’’ she said. “It was progressively getting worse.’’

The results on the study of Dobler's brain will be available in nine to 12 months, according to Stephen and Holli Dobler.

Earlier this month, the Boston University CTE Center announced it had studied the brains of 376 former NFL players and diagnosed 345 of them with CTE.

CTE, a degenerative brain disease that can be diagnosed only after death, is associated with repeated blows to the head and symptoms such as depression and aggressive behavior.

In a 2016 interview with USA TODAY Sports, Dobler said he was struggling with his memory and motivation levels. His NFL career spanned from 1972 to 1981.

“I have six kids, I don’t even know their names,’’ he said during a phone interview. “It kind of pisses me off because I prided myself on having such a wonderful memory.’’

At the time, Dobler said he had undergone neurological testing to determine if he was suffering from Alzheimer’s or any other brain disease, but the tests were inconclusive.

Holli Dobler said her father at times struggled to control his emotions but it was difficult to know if that was part of his personality of the result of football related brain trauma associated with CTE. Conrad Dobler relished his reputation as a dirty player. His autobiography was titled, “They Call Me Dirty.”

Dobler is part of the NFL concussion settlement but his case is pending, according to Holli Dobler.

“But if you ever asked him if he could go back would he have not done it, he would say, ‘No, I still would have done it. It gave me so many opportunities and the life I got to have,’" Holli Dobler said. "He was still positive about the NFL.’’

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Conrad Dobler's brain to be donated for CTE research