A recent study out of Boston University confirmed that athletes who play contact sports can begin to develop CTE, a degenerative brain disease, long before they enter the pros. The New York Times profiles four families whose children—Wyatt Bramwell, Meiko Locksley, Hunter Foraker, and twin brothers Josh and George Atkinson III—were part of that research. All five athletes began playing tackle football at young ages and died by suicide in their teens and twenties. The interactive piece, done with sensitivity and respect, shares interviews with their parents along with personal footage of the players over the years, entries from their journals, and even songs they wrote chronicling their struggles. CTE can only be diagnosed posthumously, but many of the parents saw changes in their kids that could have been early symptoms.
"He became unrecognizable," Bramwell's father tells the Times. "And unfortunately, we couldn't recognize what possibly was happening with him until it was too late." The younger Bramwell was just 18 when he took his own life. He recorded a video before he shot himself in the chest, saying he had taken a lot of hits as a football player, and began to hear voices and demons in his head. He asked his father to donate his brain to research. BU's CTE Research Center says suicidal ideation, along with impaired judgment, impulse control problems, aggression, depression, and parkinsonism, were all associated with individuals diagnosed with CTE postmortem.
The parents were split on whether they'd allow their children to play football if they could turn back time. Some were adamant that they'd never tolerate it, while others recognized their child's love for the sport and said they'd respect their choices, but perhaps delay tackle football to an older age. John Branch of the Times told PBS this is "an impossible calculation between risk and reward." The many benefits of sports ("camaraderie, the physical fitness, the sense of community") can outweigh the risks of CTE for some, and with some of the story's parents involved in football professionally, the calculus becomes even harder.
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Over 40% of the 152 brains examined in the study had CTE, and the majority came from football players (48 of 63). The study's lead author, Dr. Ann McKee, called this connection with collision sports "remarkable," noting that CTE is found in only 1% of the general population's brains, per ESPN. As the discussion turns to younger athletes' risk, the question of when kids should start playing tackle football arises. "The researchers behind this believe that there's a correlation between the number of years that somebody plays tackle football and the likelihood of them getting CTE," Branch said. (An NHL player's fights were legendary. How did that leave his brain?). If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or worried about a friend or loved one, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988. It's free and available 24/7. (More CTE stories.)
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