The family of beloved former Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans NFL Player (1993 – 2003) Frank Wycheck, has confirmed the positive diagnosis of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) Stage III. Frank John Wycheck, born October 14, 1971, passed away at the age of 52 on December 9, 2023 at his Chattanooga, TN home.
The Wycheck family worked with researchers at Boston University’s Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center, who have confirmed Wycheck’s brain tested positive for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Stage III (Stage IV being the most severe), a neurodegenerative disease that can lead to dementia, memory loss and depression. Boston University’s CTE Center conducts high-impact, innovative research on chronic traumatic encephalopathy and other long-term consequences of repetitive brain trauma in athletes, military personnel, first responders, victims of physical violence, and others affected by head trauma.
Wycheck’s family believes his diagnosis further highlights the growing concerns around CTE, the neurodegenerative disease associated with repeated head injuries, particularly in contact sports such as football.
In honoring Frank Wycheck’s legacy, his family hopes for an improved commitment to player safety and enhancing support for those who may be affected by the consequences of head injuries.
Statement from Frank Wycheck’s Daughters:
“After my father’s retirement from professional football, our family faced challenges in understanding the physical and mental changes he was experiencing. We initially believed it was simply an inability to adjust to ‘normal’ life after the intensity of being a professional athlete. We witnessed our father becoming increasingly isolated and experiencing drastic mood swings. He became more impulsive, and often inconsistent and undependable.
At the time, I mistakenly attributed his struggles to missing the spotlight and camaraderie of his playing days. But now in hindsight, I understand that he was suffering from the symptoms of CTE due to the repeated trauma his brain and body endured over 11 seasons in the NFL. My father put his body on the line throughout his career. He loved the game and even more so loved his teammates. After retirement, he fought for years to bring light to his post-NFL journey and the fears he had around his struggles and symptoms that he knew whole-heartedly was CTE. He often felt forgotten and ignored, and that his situation was helpless.
Reflecting back, I wish our family had been educated on the signs and symptoms of CTE. Instead of believing that something was inherently wrong with him, we now know he was doing the best he could as a father and friend under circumstances beyond his control.
Our family is grateful to learn of his confirmed CTE diagnosis in hopes to continue our father’s desire to bring awareness, increased intervention, education, and support for NFL alumni and their families related to CTE. Our hope is that NFL alumni, who believe they are suffering from CTE, will be given the much-needed resources and guidance prior to their symptoms reaching a debilitating state. With on-going CTE research and diagnosis’, we hope future NFL alumni and families will be explicitly given an outline and plan of action in receiving care and treatment. That’s what our father would have wanted.”
– Deanna Wycheck Szabo
“When my dad retired, I worried about him every day. I never knew if he was eating, drinking enough water, making it to important appointments, or doing anything else that a healthy-minded person would do during an average day. This went on for years as we knew his health was in rapid decline. My dad explained that it felt like his brain had a thick brick wall inside that stopped his will to follow through with anything, no matter what it was or who was involved. Regardless of his CTE symptoms, I will always believe that God intervened to allow him the opportunity to enjoy our weddings, his grandkids, and all other things he truly wanted to be a part of before he left us.
If one thing could come of this diagnosis, I pray that families all over the world would consider my dad’s story as a cautionary tale regarding the long-term consequences of repetitive brain trauma in athletes and to carefully think about their careers in professional contact sports.
This is a disease that began affecting my dad very early in his life, and I believe played a significant part in taking him way too soon. My hope is that with increased awareness, research, and advocacy for player safety, we can help fellow families of minor and professional athletes continue to thrive, not only during their careers, but after playing the sport they love so they can continue to share their legacies with generations to come.”
– Madison Wycheck Nowell
The Wycheck family hopes that Frank’s friends, colleagues and teammates will remember the man he was, both on and off-the-field, prior to his retirement and the evident signs and symptoms of his CTE diagnosis. The family appreciates the love and support they’ve received over the past year and asks for continued privacy.
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 Frank Wycheck, has confirmed the positive diagnosis of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy.){kind=link}