The cause of death of former NFL player Vincent Jackson is still unknown as the player’s family and researchers are figuring it out.
Jackson was 38 years old when he was found dead inside the Homewood Suites in Brandon on Feb. 15.
His family said he struggled with long-term effects of concussions after a decade of playing in the NFL, and they donated his brain to Boston University’s CTE Center to find out more about his death.
Concussions, doctors say, can cause numerous problems physically and mentally.
“When the force is actually too much for the brain, it causes a cascade of events inside the brain,” said Dr. Surbhi Jain, a neurosurgeon with AdventHealth in Tampa.
These cascade of events can lead to depression, alcoholism and self destructive behavior.
Former NFL player Ryan Leaf responded to Jackson’s death discussing the NFL’s lack of care in players’ health.
Although the NFL did not admit fault, the league donated $100 million to brain trauma research.
American Relief Plan set to help the unemployed after 50-49 vote in Senate
The U.S. Senate this weekend passed a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill that will provide financial assistance to those unemployed due to the pandemic.
The American Rescue Plan is expected to provide millions of Americans with $1,400 stimulus checks within the next two weeks. Unemployed people are expected to get $300 a week.
President Joe Biden said, “This plan will get checks out the door starting this month, to the American people who desperately need the help.”
The act was passed with a 50-49 Democrat majority vote. Vice President Kamala Harris was the deciding vote and weighed in on what the bill further entails.
But before the bill can become a law, the House needs to vote again. The Senate amended some House provisions, including removing the $15 minimum wage increase.
Archaeologists search for more forgotten graves in Clearwater, begin excavations
The Florida Public Archaeology Network has extended its research into Clearwater to investigate unmarked graves belonging to Black cemeteries across Tampa Bay.
State Senator Janet Cruz has spurred this investigation further as a response to the uproar of the desecration of Black cemeteries.
In the past several years, archaeologists and USF anthropologists have discovered hundreds of unmarked graves across Tampa Bay. Dozens of bodies could buried near Cleveland Street in Clearwater. In another Clearwater site, a few dozens graves were found in the North Greenwood neighborhood.
The situation in Clearwater echoes that of the lost Zion Cemetery in Tampa, which started the search for Black graves across the Bay area.
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