The statement said that the family "made the difficult decision to have his brain studied in hopes of contributing to the advancement of medical research concerning the link between football and traumatic brain injury." Linked to repeated brain trauma, it is associated with symptoms such as memory loss, impaired judgment, depression, and, eventually, progressive dementia. A running back, defensive back, wide receiver and special teams player, Gifford was the NFL MVP in 1956 when his New York Giants won the league championship.