NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman responds to Chris Simon’s suicide and reported CTE diagnosis

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman opened up about the suicide of former player Chris Simon.

Simon died at age 52 on Tuesday night due to suicide. His family released a statement and confirmed the enforcer was dealing with CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy), a brain disorder likely caused by repeated head injuries.

"The family strongly believes and witnessed firsthand, that Chris struggled immensely from CTE which unfortunately resulted in his death," the statement, provided by Simon's former agent, Paul Theofanous, on behalf of Simon's family, read, via ESPN.

"We are grieving with the loss of our son, brother, father, partner, teammate and friend. The entire Wawa community is sharing in our grief. We will not be releasing any further details at this time and ask for privacy during this very difficult time. We appreciate everyone who shares in our tragic loss."

According to Frank Seravalli, Bettman was asked about Chris Simon's suicide and his family's statements on their belief that he has CTE, which can only be diagnosed after death.

“Chris’ passing is tragic, it’s sad. We extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends. And, you know, on all of these matters, we wait to see what the medical experts tell us," Bettman said.

"Having said that, I think it’s well documented with all of the progress that we’ve made over the last couple decades to make the game as safe as possible.”

Bettman mentioned that they will wait for medical experts and then work on making the league safer to avoid such events in the future.

Former players honor Chris Simon

Chris Simon played 864 regular-season games in the NHL and played 15 seasons in the league. He was known as an enforcer, as he fought plenty of times while racking up 1,824 penalty minutes in his NHL career.

"Chris was never afraid to stand up for his teammates, and played a key role in the dressing room. He was a beloved friend, father, brother, and son," the NHL Alumni wrote in a statement.

Simon won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 1996 and was a beloved teammate, as Joe Sakic had nothing but good words to say about him.

"Chris was a great guy, a beloved teammate and important part of our first championship season," Avalanche president Joe Sakic said in a statement.

"He was a really good hockey player who could score goals, was a big presence in the dressing room and was the first person to stand up and defend his teammates. Off the ice he was an unbelievable guy and a caring father, son, brother, and friend. He will be sorely missed."

Mike Commodore was also one of several players to share a story about Simon.

Simon is the latest former NHL enforcer to die at a young age, as in recent years Wade Belak, Rick Rypien and Derek Boogard have passed away.