Mel Farr died from concussion-related disease seen in former NFL players, report says by deeperkins | Jan 31, 2017 | Uncategorized Mel Farr, a former Detroit Lions running back and owner of what was once the largest black-owned dealership group in the U.S., reportedly had Stage 3 chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) when he died in 2015 at age 70. Source: Auto Feed