Father of Former NFL Player Responsible For Mass Shooting Sues University After Posthumous CTE Diagnosis

On April 7, 2021, Phillip Adams shot and killed Dr. Robert Lesslie and his wife Barbara after forcing his way into their home in Rock Hill, SC, before killing their grandchildren, 9-year-old Adah and 5-year-old Noah. The former 49ers player also killed two heating and cooling workers who were servicing the Lesslie home at the time, James Lewis and Robert Shook, before turning the gun on himself at his parents home the following day.

Now, his father, Alonzo Adams, is suing his son’s alma mater, South Carolina State University, for a failure to “maintain a safe environment and follow safety procedures or properly train its employees on identifying, evaluating and properly treating” head injuries that were sustained by Adams and other players, according to CNN.

The wrongful death lawsuit comes after the late Adams was posthumously diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. It alleges “negligence, carelessness, recklessness, willfulness, and wantonness” which contributed to the head trauma that the lawsuit claims led to the former player’s death on April 8th.

An examination of Phillip Adams’ brain by Boston neuropathologist, Dr. Ann McKee, found that the 32-year-old had “unusually severe” stage 2 CTE, according to CNN. McKee said that Adams had trauma in both frontal lobes of the brain. “When you have frontal lobe pathology you may have rage behaviors, violent tendencies, depression, impulsivity – all sorts of things. And that’s, I think, what we saw in Phillip Adams,” she said. The lawsuit is reflective of these findings as it claims Adams sustained head trauma while playing for South Carolina State. It also claims Adams sustained head trauma while playing in the National Football League for six teams; though the NFL teams are not named as defendants.

Alonzo Adams filed the lawsuit on behalf of his deceased son’s estate and is seeking a jury trial and an undisclosed monetary sum. The lawsuit is said to have been filed in hopes of benefiting Phillip Adams’ son.