Former NFL player Phillip Adams -- who slaughtered 6 people before taking his own life -- had a severe case of CTE when he went on a violent rampage, according to a neuropathologist.
Ann McKee, a top brain doc who runs the CTE Center at Boston University -- the nation's premier facility when it comes to examining brains -- released her findings after thoroughly examining Adams' brain.
Adams was suffering from stage 2 CTE, considered a "severe" case, because it was found in both frontal lobes of his brain.
In fact, Dr. McKee said Adams' case of CTE was similar to Aaron Hernandez's ... who was convicted of murder in 2015, and like the defensive back, also took his own life.
Adams went on a killing spree in York County, South Carolina in April, brutally murdering a prominent area doctor, his wife, two grandkids (5 & 9-years-old), and two people working on the family home.
Adams then took his own life a short time later.
In light of the horrific incident, Adams' family agreed to send his brain to Boston U.
FYI, "Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is the term used to describe brain degeneration likely caused by repeated head traumas. CTE is a diagnosis made only at autopsy by studying sections of the brain," according to the Mayo Clinic.
At the time of the shooting, Phillip's sister told USA Today her brother was struggling with mental health issues, but said her brother "wasn't a monster."
Dr. McKee's findings likely finally explain the bizarre and violent behavior.
Adams was a 7th-round draft pick of the San Francisco 49ers out of South Carolina State. He played 6 seasons in the league ... for the 49ers, Patriots, Seahawks, Raiders, Jets and Falcons.
He was 32 years old at the time of his death.