08/29/2023
Folks, I’ve been pining about this for 11 years, and it kills me to see family and friends with their under 14 yr old kids playing contact football…still to this day. It’s like no one listens. Or believes science and data. People, you are making decisions for your son which has a high probability of causing issues with your son in the future, some sooner than later.
“New study: CTE found in 41% of athletes who died before 30.
A study released today from Boston University CTE Center researchers found that, among a sample of 152 young athletes exposed to repetitive head impacts who died before age 30, 41.4% (63) had neuropathological evidence of CTE. The study published in JAMA Neurology includes the first women's soccer player diagnosed with CTE, a 28-year-old collegiate athlete whose identity remains private.
“This study clearly shows that the pathology of CTE starts early,” said Dr. Ann McKee, director of the BU CTE Center and chief of neuropathology at VA Boston Healthcare System. “The fact that over 40% of young contact and collision sport athletes in the UNITE brain bank have CTE is remarkable - considering that studies of community brain banks show that fewer than 1% of the general population has CTE.”
Nearly all of the young athletes with CTE had mild cases, stages 1 and 2. Three donors showed evidence of CTE stage 3. Families of all athletes included in the study reported clinical symptoms, such as depression, apathy, and difficulty controlling behaviors. Despite all brain donors being symptomatic, nearly 59% of those studied did not have CTE, emphasizing that a contact sport athlete experiencing symptoms does not necessarily have a neurodegenerative disorder.
“The study suggests that some of the symptoms these young athletes are experiencing are not caused by the early tau pathology of CTE,” said McKee. “It is imperative that young athletes who are experiencing neuropsychiatric symptoms seek out care, as it is likely that the symptoms can be reduced with effective management and follow-up.”
If you or someone you love is suffering with symptoms from concussions or is concerned about CTE, please contact the CLF HelpLine for doctor recommendations and support.
CLF co-founder and study co-author Dr. Chris Nowinski highlights more of the study's important takeaways in a new blog, which you can check out below.
Read Dr. Nowinski's blog
Maryland head football coach shares son's CTE diagnosis with New York Times
"It felt like he was a prisoner in his own brain.”
The family of Legacy Donor Meiko Locksley today announced publicly for the first time his stage 1 (of 4) CTE diagnosis by researchers at the UNITE Brain Bank. Meiko was one of the 63 brain donors in the new BU study who died before age 30 and was later diagnosed with CTE. Meiko began playing tackle football when he was 7 and went on to play at several DI schools. He started struggling with depression, irritability, and hallucinations in his 20s. His life was tragically cut short when he was shot and killed in 2017 at the age of 25.
Meiko's father, University of Maryland head football coach Michael Locksley, decided to donate his son's brain, wondering if all the hits he took in the past contributed to his decline. Since then, Michael has used his platform to raise awareness around mental health and destigmatize the topic in conversation, especially among young men. He says the diagnosis has also made him more aware of his coaching methods, now watching more closely for signs of concussions and making sure to follow safety protocols.
Michael & Kia Locksley spoke exclusively with the New York Times to share their son's story.”
Meiko Locksley was found to have had a degenerative brain disease often associated with football. His father, the head coach at Maryland, is still reckoning with the implications.
