Lesslie and Adams families ‘finding some comfort’ in former NFL player CTE diagnosis
A doctor’s findings released Tuesday that showed Phillip Adams had the brain disease CTE brought a “better understanding” as well as “some comfort” for the families of the victims and Adams’ family.
Adams, a Rock Hill native and Rock Hill High football star who eventually made his way to the NFL, was 32 when he shot and killed six people before killing himself in Rock Hill last April. Those victims include the Lesslie family — Dr. Robert Lesslie, his wife Barbara Lesslie and two of their grandchildren, Adah, 9, and Noah, 5 — as well as two HVAC workers at the Lesslie home that day, James Lewis and Robert Shook of North Carolina.
At a press conference at the York County Coroner’s Office on Tuesday morning, family members directly affected by the shooting reacted to the news.
Full statement from family of Phillip Adams
“As we process these results, we are deeply saddened by the events that occurred on April 7 and we continue to pray for the families of the victims. We are pleased to have a better understanding of the mental turmoil that Phillip was dealing with during the last moments of his life. We cannot say that we are surprised by these results, however it is shocking to hear how severe his condition was. After going through medical records from his football career, we do know that he was desperately seeking help from the NFL but was denied all claims due to his inability to remember things and to handle seemingly simple tasks such as traveling hours away to see doctors and going through extensive evaluations. We now know that these deficits were most likely caused by the disease. By participating in the research process, we hope to bring awareness to this condition so that players young and old can understand the risks. We will continue to advocate for any research that can prevent any other families from having to endure this type of tragedy. We want people to understand that this could happen to anyone. Phillip is not the first to battle with this disease, and he will not be the las. Thank you so much to Boston University, the Concussion Legacy Foundation, the VA, and all of the folks that have helped us and many other families to get these much-needed answers.”
The Adams family will have no further comment and will not be speaking with media about Phillip’s CTE diagnosis, the statement said.
Full statement from Lesslie family
“On behalf of the families of Robert, Barbara, Adah and Noah Lesslie, we would like to offer the following statement regarding the results of the CTE analysis:
“These eight months have been unimaginably difficult. Even in the midst of crushing heartbreak, we are finding some comfort in the CTE results and the explanation they provide for the irrational behaviors pertaining to this tragedy. We are grateful for all of those who are working to continue to shine a light on anything that can help prevent this kind of nightmare from happening to other families.
“Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with the songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.” Psalm 126:5-6.
“Thank you for your prayers of support. We continue to grieve as those with hope.”
The Lesslie family will also not provide further comment, York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson said.
Statement from Shook family
“Holly Shook and the Shook children continue to grieve the loss of Robert, a devoted husband a loved father. Holly hopes to find answers that will prevent similar tragic outcomes.”
No statement from Lewis’s family was released Tuesday.
This story was originally published December 14, 2021 at 12:33 PM.
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