⁍ Blair was the second-leading tackler in Minnesota Vikings history.

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⁍ His death was believed to be caused by complications from chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

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⁍ The disease, caused by repeated brain injuries, cannot be diagnosed while a person is alive.

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– Matt Blair, a linebacker who played 12 seasons in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings and was voted into the Iowa State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1999, died Thursday at the age of 70, the team announced. Per the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the cause of death was believed to be complications from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease that can’t be diagnosed while a person is alive. “He’d been suffering for a while, so I guess maybe it’s a blessing in disguise, but it’s still too young,” ex-teammate Scott Studwell says. “It’s a sad day.” Blair, a Hawaii native, played all 12 of his NFL seasons with the Vikings, earning six Pro Bowl appearances and All-Pro honors in 1980. He was credited with 1,452 tackles, trailing only Studwell’s 1,981 in club history. Blair also had 16 interceptions and 20 fumble recoveries in his 160 career games (130 starts). An All-American at Iowa State in 1973, Blair was voted into the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 1999. In 2012, the Vikings added him to their Ring of Honor. “Matt Blair was a great presence at Vikings events and a tremendous teammate long after playing,” Vikings owner Mark Wilf said in a statement. “He embodied the best of what it means to be a Viking. Matt is a Ring of Honor player whose legacy will live on forever with the franchise and in the community he loved.”