Former NFL Player Corwin Brown Tells Judge He Has Mental "Issues"

Former NFL player and Notre Dame assistant Corwin Brown told a judge that he has "mental issues" when explaining why he struck his wife and held her hostage. The former player says that the psychological problems resulted from brain injuries that occurred while he played football in the NFL and in college.

Superior Court Judge Jane Woodward Miller is allowing prosecutors and doctors to evaluate Brown.  The court date is set for January 11, and Brown's attorney would not go into detail about the specifics of Brown's condition.

"That's why we want the examinations by the doctors," he said.

Brown, who is now 41 years old, was arrested and shot himself after a seven hour standoff with police.  After the incident took place, Brown's family claims that the former NFL player may suffer from the same brain trauma that affected Dave Duerson of the Chicago Bears.  Duerson shot and killed himself last year after complaining about significant psychological damage that came from his playing days. 

Brown's first court appearance was canceled because the court was waiting to get the results from his psychological tests. 

"We can't deny what happened. It's on camera. So the whole issue is, what was his mental condition at that time?" said Williams Stanley, Brown's defense attorney.