As a football player, I know you can receive some pretty hard hits, specifically right on the head. Sometimes I’d get some pain or a brief spell of dizziness, nothing too serious, right? That kind of thinking may be the reason this problem is arising more and more as scientists investigate further into a neuro disease called “Chronic traumatic encephalopathy” or CTE for short. It is a disease found in people who have had severe brain injuries or multiple concussions, typically this disease is found in people who play contact sports such as football, ice hockey, boxing, and anything involving forceful contact between players.

The scariest thing about this disease is the fact that many athletes may have the disease without even knowing it. It only takes a severe blow to the head to spark this disease, and many young children can suffer from this if proper precautions are not taken. In fact, this disease has become a major concern for the NFL as many players are terrified of this disease as more research shows many current and former players have the disease already. What brought this disease into the mainstream media was when the unfortunate case of a former NFL star linebacker, Junior Seau who played for the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots, broke out. On May 2^nd, 2012 Seau committed suicide in his home, he was only 43 at the time of his death.

Unfortunately, Seau’s case is just one of hundreds as the disease is being found in more deceased football players. Another recent case of this disease was found in the brain of Aaron Hernandez, ex-Patriots tight end who was arrested and charged with murder, also committed suicide a few months back. It seems as the more research that is being completed the more cases are being found players. The best way to fight this disease and to encourage more research and to provide better safety precautions for players of all leagues would be to spread awareness. That’s why I write this article today, to try and get people to know what this disease is and what it can do to people. Symptoms can vary depending on the severity of the disease and damage to the brain. Typical non-severe symptoms include memory loss, impaired judgment, and difficulty controlling behavior which all can be mistaken for either old age or other brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. What makes this disease extremely dangerous, however, is the severe symptoms that include severe depression, this disease can trigger aggression, and can lead to erratic behavior that cannot be treated or cured.

People who suffer from CTE are a danger not only to themselves but to others as well. People who have been diagnosed with CTE have shown to have a higher chance of committing suicide as well as suffer from brain damage that can shorten their lifespan. Studies also show that people that suffer from the disease have higher rates of domestic violence with their spouse and in some very unfortunate cases a person with CTE disease have murdered their spouse or another innocent life. So please spread awareness around and help people become aware of what to look for in case a loved one or friend is starting to develop this disease. Our goal should also be to get leagues like the NFL to take better precautions to help players avoid this disease. Ways to help prevent players from getting this disease could be changing rules to try to decrease head to head contact, conduct further research to make helmets or any equipment more efficient in stopping concussions, or any way sports leagues can think of to prevent another player from falling victim to this awful disease. Do what you can to spread knowledge and awareness of this disease to anyone you can, make it a priority for sports leagues to address immediately!