The NFL star and the brain injuries that destroyed him  Before
the former American football player Dave Duerson killed himself,
he asked that his brain be left to researchers studying head
injuries among athletes. What it revealed shocked the scientists
• Watch a video of neuropathologist Dr Ann McKee examining the
brain of an American football player     • The Guardian,     •
Jump to comments () dave duerson Dave Duerson in action for the
Chicago Bears in 1985. Photograph: Michael J Minardi/Getty
Images  Dave Duerson had so much going for him. A former
professional American football player, he still carried himself
with the bearing of a star. In Chicago, he was feted as a member
of the legendary 1985 Bears that won the Super Bowl, thrashing
the New England Patriots 46-10. In New York, too, he was fondly
remembered as a member of the Giants team that took the Super
Bowl championship five years later, squeaking to victory over
the Buffalo Bills by just one point.  He had friends throughout
the sport, acquired