The father of a former NFL player who fatally shot six people before killing himself two years ago is suing the alma mater where his son played football.
In April 2021, Phillip Adams shot and killed Dr. Robert Lesslie, his wife Barbara, two of their grandchildren and two HVAC workers at the Leslie home in South Carolina, before turning the gun on himself.
An autopsy eventually diagnosed Adams with an unusually severe form of the degenerative brain disease commonly known as CTE that has been shown to cause violent mood swings and memory loss.
Now, his father, Alonzo Adams, says South Carolina State University did not follow safety protocols or properly train employees to treat the sustained head trauma that his son suffered during a college career that lasted from 2006 to 2009.
That alleged ‘negligence, carelessness, recklessness, willfulness, and wantonness’ contributed to Adams’ death following the April 8, 2021, mass shooting in Rock Hill, South Carolina, according to the wrongful death lawsuit filed March 31. Police found Adams with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
The father of former NFL player Phillip Adams (pictured), who fatally shot six people before killing himself two years ago, is suing the alma mater where his son played football
These scans show the severe damage in the frontal lobes of Phillip Adams’ brain that doctors say came as the result of his 20-year NFL career. CTE, they said, shrunk his brain and caused him to lose control of his decision making, as well as becoming increasingly paranoid
Sam Watson, a spokesman said South Carolina State University, said the institution does not comment on current or pending litigation.
The NFL journeyman also sustained ‘head trauma’ during his six years as a professional cornerback, according to the complaint. During a three-game span with the Raiders in 2012, Adams had two concussions.
The local coroner has said the family told investigators that Adams complained of excruciating injury-related pain, had issues with his memory and struggled to sleep.
His sister told USA Today after the killings that the family had noticed concerning signs of rapidly deteriorating mental health like an escalating temper and lack of personal hygiene.
Because he didn’t retire by 2014, he would not have been eligible for testing included in a broad settlement between the league and former players over long-lasting concussion-related injuries.
An agent has previously told The Associated Press that the Adams did not participate in other physical and mental health programs available for ex-players.
There was no motive for the attack and the only connection between Adams and the victims was that they lived close to each other.
Adams’ family agreed for his brain to be studied afterwards in order to detect if he had Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) – which can only be detected posthumously through an autopsy.
LEFT TO RIGHT: A normal brain, Aaron Hernandez’s brain and Phillip Adams’ brain. The normal brain of a 27-year-old man, left, has no ventricular enlargement or damage towards the frontal lobes. Center is Aaron Hernandez’s brain, which shows he had severe ventricular enlargement and damage. Right is Phillip Adams’ brain. He had ventricular enlargement too
Rock Hill physician Robert Lesslie; his wife, Barbara; two of their grandchildren, nine-year-old Adah Lesslie and five-year-old Noah Lesslie (shown) were all killed by Adams in April 2021
James Lewis, 38, was an HVAC technician who was working at Lesslies’ property when he was shot and killed by Adams. He is an only child to his parents and was a single father of three
At a press conference in December 2021, researchers from Boston University confirmed that he had stage 2 CTE, that was ‘severe’ in both of his frontal lobes.
‘Microscopically, he had very dense and extensive tell pathology in a pattern and distribution diagnostic of stage two CTE,’ a researcher said.
‘CTE is a progressive, degenerative disease caused by repetitive head impacts. It can include concussions but can include smaller hits. We have diagnosed CTE in over 700 individuals including 315 NFL players.
‘Adams’ 20-year-career in football put him at risk. CTE is a progressive disease that worsens with age although in many instances, as with this one, it is a disease of the young.
‘We have diagnosed CTE in 24 NFL players who died in their 20s and 30s. Most of those football players had stage two CTE. Stage two CTE is associated with progressive cognitive and behavioral abnormalities such as aggression, impulsivity, explosivity, depression, paranoia, anxiety, poor executive function and memory loss.
‘I can say definitively that his 20 years of football gave rise to CTE. We’ve seen homicidal behavior in others diagnosed with CTE. It’s hard to say that it alone [is responsible] but certainly we have seen this behavior and it is not what I would consider unusual,’ she added.
The only other person with such severe CTE was Aaron Hernandez, the disgraced Patriots player who was convicted of double murder, then killed himself in prison in 2017.
‘Mr. Adams’ CTE pathology was different however from other young NFL players with CTE. It was different in that it was unusually severe in both frontal lobes. In its frontal lobe predominance, Adams’ CTE pathology was similar to that of another young NFL player, namely Aaron Hernandez,’ Dr. Ann McKee of Boston University said.
The worst detected case of CTE that scientists have ever found was in Aaron Hernandez, who killed himself in prison after being convicted of murder
Lisa McHale of the Concussion Legacy Foundation added: ‘He was desperately seeking help from the NFL but was denied all claims.’
Doctors also revealed that Adams had amphetamines in his system that he had a prescription for on the day of the shooting, as well as kratom benefits, an over-the-counter drug which can have the same effects as opioids.
Dr. McKee urged the NFL to start monitoring how often individual players sustain head hits – both minor and major – and to put together a ‘comprehensive care package’ for retired players.
Dr. McKee also said that the ‘holy grail’ will be being able to diagnose CTE in living players in order to prevent similar tragedies.
‘Phillip Adams had an extraordinary amount of CTE pathology in the frontal lobe, the area of the brain behind the forehead. Frontal lobe damage is associated with violent, impulsive or explosive behavior, a “short fuse,” and lack of self-control.
‘His CTE pathology might have contributed to his abnormal behaviors, in addition to other physical, psychiatric and psychosocial factors.
‘His predominantly frontal lobe CTE pathology, which resulted in atrophy, or shrinkage, of the brain, was similar in severity to Aaron Hernandez,’ Dr. McKee said in a statement afterwards.
As of now, it can only be detected in dead players during autopsies.
Adams joined the San Francisco 49ers in 2010 as a seventh-round draft pick out of South Carolina State, and though he rarely started, he went on to play for New England, Seattle, Oakland and the New York Jets before finishing his career with the Atlanta Falcons in 2015.
As a rookie, Adams suffered a severe ankle injury and never played for the 49ers again.
Later, with the Raiders, he had two concussions over three games in 2012.
He wouldn’t have been eligible for testing as part of a broad settlement between the league and former players over long-lasting concussion-related injuries, because he hadn´t retired by 2014.
Las Vegas Raiders