Tom McHale

was an American offensive guard in the National Football League. During his career he played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1987–92), Philadelphia Eagles (1993–94) and Miami Dolphins (1995). Born in Gaithersburg, Maryland, he attended Gaithersburg High School and then Wyoming Seminary in Kingston, Pennsylvania before playing college football at Maryland (1983) and Cornell (1986), graduating from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration. Playing as a defensive end, he was named all-Ivy League and first team All-American in 1986, and was runner-up for Ivy League Player of the Year. He was named to the Cornell Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993.

On the morning of May 25, 2008, McHale was found dead at age 45 at the home of a friend in Wesley Chapel, Florida. The cause of death was recorded as an accidental drug overdose.

An examination of McHale’s brain at Boston University’s School of Medicine found that McHale had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE),a condition found in several other NFL veterans who had received repeated concussions. His widow, Lisa McHale, now works as a family relations liaison at the Boston University CTE Center.