Chris Simon’s family has stated that the former National Hockey League (NHL) player committed suicide after his brain ailment worsened recently.
Simon’s family told ESPN that they believe he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain illness that worsens with time.
“The family strongly believes and witnessed firsthand that Chris suffered greatly from CTE, which unfortunately resulted in his death,” a statement from Simon’s former agent, Paul Theofanous, said on Wednesday morning.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our son, brother, father, partner, teammate, and friend,” the statement said.
“We will not be providing any additional information at this time and beg for privacy during this extremely difficult period. We thank everyone who has shared in our awful loss.”
Simon, who was 52 years old when he died earlier this week, was noted for his tough play, participating in 101 bouts and earning 1,824 penalty minutes during his career.
