The death of former Syracuse University football star and NFL player Chris Gedney is shining new light on the dangers of traumatic head injuries.

An autopsy performed by a neuropathologist at Boston University, shows the 47-year-old had Stage 2 CTE. Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy is a degenerative brain disease, caused by repeated head trauma. 

At Stage 2, individuals suffer from depression, mood swings and short-term memory loss, among other things, as well as suicidal thoughts.

Gedney started his football days at Liverpool High School. After graduating from SU, Gedney went on to play seven years in the NFL, and eventually moved back to Syracuse. 

Local neurosurgeon Dr. Lawrence Chin says his condition of CTE is very difficult to diagnose while a person is alive. 

"There are lots of people that have minor episodes of forgetfulness, or feeling down, or confused. It's only when it becomes severe as the disease progresses, that you might suspect something," said Upstate University Professor and Chair of Neurosurgery Dr. Lawrence Chin.

There are four stages of the disease, with symptoms in the final stage ranging from severe aggression and memory loss to dementia. 

There is no current medical treatment.