The late Frank Wycheck, remembered for the pass that began the iconic play “Music City Miracle,” suffered from an advanced stage of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), investigators said.
Wycheck died in December 2023 after suffering a fall at his home in Tennessee. He had made it clear that he wanted to work with experts in research into CTE and related brain injuries.
A study of Wycheck’s brain by researchers at Boston University’s Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center confirmed that the former Tennessee Titans star tight end also suffered from the degenerative brain disease during the final years of his life.
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Frank Wycheck of the Tennessee Titans on the field against the Cincinnati Bengals at the Adelphia Coliseum in Nashville on December 10, 2000. (Scott Halleran/All Sports)
Wycheck was diagnosed with stage III CTE. Stage IV is the most severe form of the disease and can cause dementia, memory loss and depression. According to the Mayo Clinic, CTE can occur after repeated head injuries, such as concussions or blows to the head.
A 2017 study by Boston University’s CTE Center found that the brains of 99% of former NFL players had at least traces of the neurodegenerative disease. Researchers studied the brains of 202 former soccer players.
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A three-time Pro Bowl tight end, Wycheck played in the NFL from 1993 to 2003, starting with Washington and finishing his career with the Houston Oilers organization, which moved to Tennessee and became the Titans.
Wycheck’s family said in a statement that they are grateful for this diagnosis, which they believe further highlights concerns around CTE in contact sports like football. They want to honor his legacy with a greater commitment to player safety and support for those affected by head injuries.
His daughters said their family had a hard time understanding the physical and mental changes Wycheck was experiencing, thinking he was simply missing the spotlight of his career.
Frank Wycheck celebrates the Tennessee Titans’ victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Divisional playoff game in Nashville, January 11, 2003. (Simon Bruty/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
“We witnessed our father become increasingly isolated and experience drastic mood swings. He became more impulsive and often inconsistent and unreliable,” Deanna Wycheck Szabo said in a statement. “Now, in retrospect, I understand that he suffered from CTE symptoms due to the repeated trauma his brain and body endured over 11 seasons in the NFL.”
Former Tennessee Titans tight end Frank Wycheck runs onto the field before the game against the San Diego Chargers at LP Field on Sept. 22, 2013, in Nashville. (Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)
Szabo said Wycheck loved football and his teammates. She said he fought for years after he retired to bring attention to the symptoms and struggles he knew stemmed from CTE, and that he too often felt ignored and helpless. Szabo also said he wishes his family had been educated about the symptoms of CTE so they knew what to look for and now hopes for more intervention, education and support for NFL alumni and their families.
“Instead of believing that something was inherently wrong with him, we now know that he was doing the best he could as a father and friend in circumstances beyond his control,” Szabo said.
