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Former KDKA-TV talk show host and weatherman Jon Burnett passed away on February 19 at the age of 71. According to UPMC cognitive neurologist Dr. Joseph Malone, Burnett succumbed to complications from CTE, as reported by CBS News. KDKA-TV is an affiliate of CBS News.
For those unaware, CTE refers to Chronic traumatic encephalopathy. It is a brain disorder presumably caused by frequent head injuries, as per Mayo Clinic. Since 2019, Jon Burnett dealt with serious medical concerns including memory loss and other neurological issues, according to CBS News, in the wake of which he retired.
Eventually, in 2022, he was diagnosed with suspected CTE, seemingly caused by his past football career. His sports career spanned across his school days in Knoxville, Tennessee, from the age of 10 until his time at the University of Tennessee (graduated in 1976) where he was a defender.
Following his diagnosis, Burnett took part in the National Sports Brain Bank at the University of Pittsburgh in early 2024, as reported by CBS News. It is dedicated to research and treatment of rare progressive degerative neurological diaseases such as CTE.
"If I can help anybody on this road, who is on this road or will be on this road in the years ahead, I feel better about being able to do that and being able to learn from my experiences," he told ‘Pittsburgh Today Live' colleague Kristine Sorensen at the time.
Notably, Jon Burnett’s employer KDKA-TV also aired a story raising awareness about CTE alongside sharing his journey. This led to the number of participants in the National Sports Brain Bank being doubled.
Back then, the now-deceased talk show host and weather forecaster shared that he decided to go public with his diagnosis “because my disease is so obvious, I couldn’t hide it anymore. I couldn’t not broadcast it to the world that there’s something wrong with me.”
All you need to know about CTE amid Jon Burnett’s demise
CTE or Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is caused by repeated head trauma often occurred during combat sports or military services. It is a rare brain disorder that leads to degeneration or the death of nerve cells in human brain.
As per Mayo Clinic, CTE often occurs when a past head injury is not fully resolved and a second one already happens. Some key symptoms of CTE include memory loss, motor issues, trouble with emotions or cognition, mood-related issues, and physical, as well as behavioral concerns. The disorder does not develop after one or two injuries but over the years.
Unfortunately, CTE can be definitively diagnosed after death during autopsy. The only times it can be detected before are when people have high risk exposures.
Diagnostic biomarkers for CTE are currently being researched. CTE often results in other brain disorders including Alzheimer’s, frontotemporal dementia, Parkinson’s, ALS, and more. There are no known treatment or list of causes for CTE.
According to the Daily Mail, the first published evidence of CTE occurred in the hands of Dr. Bennet Omalu, who in 2005 studied former Pittsburgh Steelers player, Mike Webster.
More about Jon Burnett's CTE
As per Trib Live, Jon Burnett signed on to the National Sports Brain Bank to have his brain donated for scientific research of CTE after his demise. His wife Debbie supported him in the cause. Meanwhile, Kristine Sorensen shared she was not surprised with Jon’s decision.
“As he started to face a lot of neurological problems, it was still Jon. He still cared about people, and he wanted to share his story to help other people and help improve research into what causes CTE. As a result of the stories we did, the number of sign-ups for the Brain Bank more than doubled,” Sorensen stated.
Notably, during his interview with Kristine last year, Jon Burnett shared that he was "proud" of his football career even though he ultimately "paid the price with the concussions" over the years and "several of them," as reported by the Daily Mail.
He also recalled being hit in the head hundreds of times while playing in the field, including having two severe ones that rendered him "unconscious." One of these hits even split his helmet into two.
"I quickly discovered that I liked contact. Which is of course why my head's so screwed up today," he explained back then.
Jon Burnett was employed at KDKA-TV for over three decades and hosted shows including Pittsburgh Today Live, Pittsburgh 2Day, and Evening Magazine. He is survived by his wife Debbie, daughter Samantha, son Eric, and five grandchildren.
