Former Washington tight end Rod Jones died by suicide on Saturday. He was 54.
“He’s been dealing with depression for years,” his daughter Jamie told The Seattle Times. “I can’t pinpoint exactly when, but he started to notice some memory loss. He just couldn’t remember things.”
Jamie Jones said that her father shot himself with a shotgun Friday and was pronounced dead Saturday. According to his daughter, he had recently been diagnosed with early-onset dementia, his family suspected he suffered from CTE and he had a history of alcohol abuse. The family is making arrangements to have his brain donated to Boston University for CTE study.
Jones was a member of the Husky Hall of Fame and played on the 1984 team that finished No. 2 in the country. He was captain of the 1986 team. He played nine games in the NFL with the Chiefs and Seahawks.
According to The Seattle Times, for the past 18 years he has been an academic coordinator in the UW athletic department.