Chris Benoit, the World Wrestling Federation performer who in June killed himself, wife Nancy and son Daniel, 7, may not have been under the influence of steroids, but suffering from dementia.

Neurologists with the Sports Legacy Institute who examined Benoit’s brain found it pockmarked throughout with evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), whose symptoms include depression, dementia and erratic behavior.

CTE is believed to afflict 20 percent of professional boxers and was found in four professional American football players aged 36 to 50 who died in recent years — two by suicide — after showing erratic behavior, the institute said.

The private research institute’s experts believe Benoit’s brain damage “is enough to very likely explain aberrant behavior including suicide and even homicide,” Julian Bailes, chief of neurosurgery at West Virginia University, told a news conference in New York.

New Zealand Herald

Brain injury seems like reason enough not to pursue a career as a professional wrestler.

Chris’ father Michael had this to say about the injury, “The human skull just isn’t built to get hit with a table or a chair.”

I honestly thought the wrestling was more in the way of theatrics then competition, particularly the WWF, so I am surprised they are actually getting that severely injured.

Note by Celebitchy: Maybe this tragic case will bring more awareness to the need to prevent brain injury in contact sports. If boxers, football players and wrestlers are having their lives and sanity ruined for a few years of play, it hardly seems like the lifestyle and high pay are worth it.

Though he injured his… ankle/knee/something below the thigh (I don’t really follow the sports) David Beckham won’t let that get in the way of loving the Posh bones. This morning he confirmed to Ryan Seacrest that the pair would like at least one or two more children, and they’re not letting David’s injury get in the way of another fat-free Posh pregnancy.

“David Beckham may have disappointed fans now that he is out for the season with an injury but his ‘Posh’ sex life with wife Victoria Beckham will continue. He told Ryan Seacrest that the couple wants more kids and that will mean practice, practice, practice. He said, ‘When we first met, we never even spoke about how many kids we wanted. It was just lucky that we both actually wanted around the same number. We both want four or five kids…we’re very family oriented.’

[From the National Ledger]

I’d be family oriented too if I were married to David Beckham. He also told Seacrest a little about adjusting to life in America, and said that for the most part, he and Posh love it.

“Us Weekly magazine has the interview excerpted online. Becks says on life in the U.S.: ‘We’re enjoying it. It’s a country that has sort of embraced us…everyone has been so positive, about not just me as a soccer player, but Victoria as a person…When she does a TV program or a radio program, people actually see what she’s like as a person and see that she’s got a great sense of humor…people really warm to her.’

“In the interview this morning on Seacrest’s L.A. radio show, Becks, 32, says that despite the honor of being admired by women the world over, it’s coming home to Posh, 33, and sons Brooklyn, 8, Romeo, 5, and Cruz, 2, that makes him happy.

“He added on the paparazzi: ‘It’s been pretty intense since we arrived…more than what we are used to. We’re used to being followed by four or five cars maybe, but to have forty seven cars in the first week, every day, following us, it was pretty insane.’”

[From the National Ledger]

That is pretty insane. As people that just look at the pictures, it’s hard to tell how much paparazzi there really are. Is it one lucky photographer, a huddle of 20, or fifty cars following you down the street? I can’t imagine living life under that kind of scrutiny. It would make everything you did feel kind of inauthentic, to have it all snapped by a bunch of strangers. It’d feel like you were always performing or something. Though for the insane money he makes, I think I’d handle it somehow. Probably by paying someone to go around and deflate the air from the all the paparazzi’s cars.

Picture note by JayBird: Here’s David at his David Beckham Youth Soccer Clinic - August 17, 2007. Images thanks to PR Photos.

Apparently basketball great Shaquile O’Neil wants to be a sheriff. Aren’t little boys supposed to have grown out of that phase by about 15 or so? Shaq’s 35, but whatever. Shaq’s talked for years about wanting to be a sheriff, but it appears he’s taking it a little more seriously these days.

“’I probably will run for sheriff in Orlando or Fort Lauderdale, Fla.,’ he said during an interview on the Live with Regis and Kelly national television chat show.”

[From the Sun Sentinel]

One would have to assume he actually meant Broward County, since Fort Lauderdale doesn’t have its own sheriff. How serious could he be if he doesn’t even know one of the jurisdictions he plans to run in doesn’t have a sheriff? Shaq, who plays for the Miami Heat, has been a reserve officer for the Miami Beach police and a few other areas. He claims to be a reserve detective. I have a degree in criminology, and I’m 99% certain there is no such thing. If you’re a reserve officer, you just do it here and there, like a substitute teacher but much less so. Becoming a detective takes years of work and dedication; it’s not something you could do on the side. But we’ll put that aside and humor Shaq a little, because it seems like other people are.

Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle said the notion of a Sheriff Shaq shouldn’t be dismissed. As someone who’s admired by many people, Naugle said O’Neal might be successful at stemming youth crime.

I think he would be great,’ he said. ‘He’s demonstrated a real dedication. I don’t think it’s out of the question. … He always seems to have had a clean image, unlike some in sports.’”

Of course this isn’t the first time Shaq’s talked about his law enforcement dreams.

In 2002, he told the New Yorker that he wanted to be a police chief or sheriff in Louisiana or Orlando. He said he would run as an independent. In 2004, he discussed running for the Central Florida job with the Orlando Sentinel.

And early in 2006, he told ABC News that ‘when I am done playing, I will be a sheriff somewhere in some city in some county.’”

[From the Sun Sentinel]

Current Broward County Sheriff Ken Jenne, considered to be the most powerful man in the county, didn’t dismiss Shaq’s dreams either, though he seems to think he should be a little more realistic.

Shaq’s got three of the most important qualities needed to be sheriff: dedication, commitment and team building,’ he said. Jenne would prefer to have O’Neal sign up as a Broward Sheriff’s Office reserve deputy — with one catch.

‘He’d have to supply his own shoes. We don’t carry his size.’”

[From the Sun Sentinel]

I have to wonder how serious he is about all this… the sheriff is an elected office. Shaq’s not even registered to vote. Being a sheriff isn’t about running around shooting people. (Nor is being a police officer). It’s a desk job, and a political job. You have to be able to tightly control a large budget, and have the confidence of your officers… who generally don’t place a lot of faith in someone without years of law enforcement experience. However it seems like Shaq actually does have a chance, if he wants the job. Broward County Sheriff Ken Jenne is considered by many to be corrupt, and is currently under investigation by several agencies. Many citizens have voiced their support of Shaq, though it’s hard to say if that’s because they think he’s really do a good job, or bring star power to the office, or just that he’d be better than Ken Jenne. What do you all think, Shaq for sheriff?

Picture note by Celebitchy: Shaquille O’Neil is shown in the header image at the ESPY Awards yesterday with his wife Shaunie. Thanks to WENN for this picture. He is also seen in a promotional image for the 1996 film Kazaam.

Britian’s unreliable Sun is reporting that Victoria Beckham has nixed the idea of her family converting to the Scientology cult at Tom Cruise’s urging. They say that her husband, footballer David Beckham, is more impressionable and has been considering it after having some heart-to-heart conversations with the pint-sized actor, but that Victoria isn’t about to waste her money on anything other than fashion:

TOM CRUISE is trying to recruit the Beckhams to the Scientology cult — but Victoria has told him: “Hands off our cash”.

The Hollywood superstar is obsessed with the wacky religion and believes David would benefit from joining.

But Victoria, 32, has ruled it out — partly because members have to make large, regular cash donations. Last week David admitted he spent “hours” on the phone to Tom, 44, before quitting Real Madrid for LA Galaxy.

There’s another report that David Beckham was so distraught over leaving Madrid for LA-based soccer team Galaxy that he needed ice packs to bring down the puffiness of his eyes from constant crying. He is now said to be content with his decision and excited about the move.

Victoria has gushed that she loves the fashion in Hollywood and that she’s excited to hobnob with the stars.

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are throwing a big welcome party for the Beckhams this summer. Guests are said to include Steven Spielberg and Jennifer Lopez.

David is still in Madrid playing out his contract with Real Madrid, and will join his family in the states to play for LA Galaxy starting this summer.

Posh and Becks have enrolled their oldest child, Brooklyn, seven, in the Brentwood private day school in Bel-Air, where he will start school in August.

Here are pictures of Victoria and Katie Holmes out to dinner at The Ivy on 1/16. Tom dropped the two off and then left them to pick at their food.

Victoria is still wearing that god-awful Giambattista Valli belt that Chic Mommy made fun of earlier.

Commentors here note that it looks like Katie had some work done on her face. I don’t see it, but it could be the case. Pictures from KatieHolmes.com

According to the New York Daily News, Britney Spears was rejected by the NFL. That’s right—the National Football League turned down Brit’s request to appear in a TV commercial to promote the league’s TV network.

The NFL is not exactly known for holding up the standards of good taste. Every commercial you see during an NFL game includes skanky girls and/or beer. To add insult to injury, a source for the NFL called Britney a “train wreck”

Ouch. Being told you are a “train wreck” by such a high class organization such as the National Football League is harsh. But is it harsh enough to penetrate Brit’s white trash brain? Probably not.

Update by Celebitchy: And guess who was given a spot in the superbowl ad instead of Britney - Paris Hilton. That’s classic.

You’ve undoubtedly heard that David Beckham has scored a five year, $250 million contract with The Los Angeles Galaxy soccer team after leaving Real Madrid. Britain’s World Cup team may think his celebrity distracts from the game, but in America it will only bring viewers and publicity to a less popular sport. David has a children’s soccer academy that is run out of the same home stadium of his new team and it seems like a smart move for him.

I heard an interview with Beckham on CNN and he said “my reasoning for moving over there are… to provide opportunities for other players.” He said he loves working with kids in his soccer academy. He also said that living in LA will be a great experiene for his entire family.

CNN also interviewed the editor of US who said that David and Victoria have the opportunity to become the next Hollywood power couple, since they’ve all broken up. He seems to have forgotten about Brangelina.

Posh was recently seen looking at homes in LA, and now that her husband’s career is moving there we’re sure to see her out shopping with Katie Holmes. People say that it’s only a matter of time before David and Victoria convert to Scientology, but I give them more credit than that. Even though they come off as dumb they seem kind of savvy to me in their own way, and I bet they’ll stay away from the cult.

The Holy Moley newsletter, which publishes a lot of crap but I run it anyway, claims that Posh’s new short hairstyle isn’t any more real than her super-long extensions. They say she’s lost a lot of hair due to anorexia, and is using filler hair or something.

Luckily for Posh, one of the biggest industries in American prisons is providing real hair for use in extensions. Victoria’s people have made a large issue of the fact that she has recently got rid of her lengthy extensions in order to sport a more natural look.

The truth is somewhat more hair-raising. She still has a full head of hair extensions, though much shorter. One of the crueller side effects of eating disorders is the loss of hair on the crown of the head. And the growth of Brian Blessed-type mutton chop whiskers on the cheeks.

It sounds like speculation to me and I bet her hair is real.

Tom Cruise got annoyed when he noticed that his son Connor’s team wasn’t doing that well during a recent football match. He marched up and gave them his own pep talk, no doubt thrilling 11 year-old Connor:

[From the PopBitch e-mail newsletter]

With pictures like these of Tom running across the field with Connor, that’s an easy story to believe. You can tell that Connor is not thrilled with the attention that’s paid his manic father, but he looks like he’s quietly putting up with it.

Katie Holmes has made it known that she’s found her wedding dress. She won’t tell the press which designer she’s picked, but speculation is that it could be Chanel’s Karl Lagerfeld, who she was pictured with at a recent party he threw in Paris.

Tom and Katie are expected to get married next month.

Pictures from lime-light.org.

Matthew McConaughey is starring in the upcoming film “We Are Marshall,” about a coach who took over the Huntington, West Virginia Marshall University football team in 1971 after a plane crash killed most of the players. He says he read the script and was touched by it, and knew that he wanted to be involved with the film:

McConaughey and “We are Marshall” director McG, known for “The OC,” attended a game last week between Marshall and Central Florida’s Golden Knights. They walked out to the stadium with the players, and screened a clip from the film at halftime. Footage from the event may show up on “Oprah,” as McConaughey also taped an episode of the talkshow to promote the movie. Unfortunately Marshall lost to The Golden Knights in an upset with less than 7 seconds to go, 23-22.

A lot of people are saying that Matthew McConaughey has lost his sex appeal since he grew an unkempt beard. I say that his extreme six pack cancels it out. A reporter from iVillage says he’s met him twice and he didn’t smell either time despite claiming he doesn’t wear deodorant. He also said that McConaughey was incredibly nice, and told him that he grew the beard for his upcoming performance in “Fool’s Gold” with Kate Hudson:

Let’s hope that Matt only sports the beard for the first part of the film, or female fans aren’t going to be too keen to see it.

Here are pictures of Matt at the game on 10/4 and at LAX on 10/7. Love the sandals. [via]

The Cruise-Holmes merger is said to be about six weeks away. While Katie has shaped up with the help of a trainer using the Buff Brides program, Tom looks like all his PR appearances have him stress eating.

His face is all puffed up and he looks like he’s trying to suck it in. He also needs a haircut badly. What happened to him?

I remember seeing the pictures of his visit to Yahoo! and thinking “He may be batshit crazy, but he still looks hot.” Now he’s just crazy.

In amusing related news, a guy was arrested for taking a leak on the grounds at the Cruise estate. It’s unknown how he got on the premises is in the first place:

Cruise, Holmes and Suri were said to be home at the time, but their place is so huge they might not have even known about it.

Here are Tom, Katie and possibly Tom’s mom at another one of Isabella’s soccer games on 9/16. Thanks to KatieHolmes.com for these pictures.

Victoria and David Beckham spoke to London’s Mirror while promoting their new fragrance line in Italy. Victoria was quite upfront in the interview and I have a lot more respect for her after reading it. She seems like a person who struggles with her self esteem, but it sounds like she’s finding her place in the world and is getting stronger every day.

Victoria said she wants a girl, but that now isn’t a good time:

She said her big butt in the perfume ads wasn’t altered that much and that she was just bending over funny:

Victoria admits she wasn’t a great singer, but now that she’s designing her own jeans and putting out a makeup line, she feels confident in her line of work:

And Victoria feels a bit inferior to her gorgeous husband, international football star Becks:

Victoria could gain a few pounds to up her sexy factor, but people do see her as sexy.

While she hasn’t met Suri yet, Victoria said she speaks to Tom Cruise on the phone often and said that he’s not strange like people say, and is “just a genuinely lovely caring person.” She called Katie Holmes “one of the most down-to-earth celebrities I’ve ever met,” and said she’s really good for Tom.

She revealed that David was upset at being dropped by England’s national team, and that he wears his heart on his sleeve. She asked if he wasn’t “one of the top 23 footballers in the country.”

David spoke of his pride in his boys’ interest and skill at football at such a young age. When asked about his favorite smells, a reference to their new perfume line, he said:

That’s so sweet! These two may preen a lot, but there’s something vulnerable and endearing about them.

Here are Victoria and David outside of the launch of their perfume line. Victoria’s skirt is see-through at the top, and you can see her panties in some of the shots. Of her outfit she said “I look like one of those dolls that sit on top of your toilet roll.” She does look like a doll, but that’s not a bad thing. [via]