Bubba Smith, the late NFL star and actor, had CTE

As the NFL deals with yet another concussion controversy, another former great was diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the degenerative brain disease that has been linked to head trauma playing football.

Bubba Smith, the great Baltimore Colts, Oakland Raiders and Houston Oilers defensive end who reached a whole new audience as a star in the "Police Academy" movies and other acting roles, had CTE, The New York Times reported. Smith played nine NFL seasons, and before that he was a college star at Michigan State. Smith died in 2011.

There are still many questions about the link between concussions suffered while playing football and CTE, but Smith is the 90th former NFL player examined by the Boston University brain bank to be diagnosed with CTE, The New York Times said. The brain bank has examined 94 former NFL players. Frank Gifford, Junior Seau, Ken Stabler and Mike Webster, all Pro Football Hall of Famers, also have been diagnosed with CTE. 

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The Times said Smith had Stage 3 CTE, on a scale of 1 to 4, with "symptoms that included cognitive impairment and problems with judgment and planning."

An NFL official earlier this year said there was a link between concussions and CTE, and the numbers at Boston University seem to point to that as well. Smith is the latest star to be diagnosed, but it's likely he won't be the last.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab