The murderer left behind a message in which he accused the American professional football league of his mental problems. According to the police, the man planned to strike at the NFL's office – but when he was to carry out the attack on Monday, he ended up in the wrong elevator by mistake, which did not go to the football league's floor.
The 27-year-old, who was found dead in the building after taking his own life, played American football in high school. In the three-page long message found in his wallet, he wrote that he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy – CTE – a disease that can only be diagnosed through autopsy. He asked that his brain be examined. The perpetrator had also written that the NFL prioritizes economic gain over the players' health by hiding the injuries that CTE and the sport itself can cause.
Almost all had CTE
CTE is also called boxer's dementia, and is caused by repeated blows to the head that break down brain tissue. It affects practitioners of contact sports such as boxing, ice hockey, and not least American football, where hard tackles are an important part of the game.
A study of the brains of 111 deceased NFL players showed that 110 of them had CTE, according to a study published in the medical journal Jama (Journal of the American Medical Association). The disease causes a range of symptoms, such as memory loss, confusion, dementia, depression, and severe mood swings. The symptoms can occur many years – sometimes decades – after the last brain injury. CTE has been found not only in former professional players, but also in young people who have played at the high school level.
The league backed down in 2016
The risks of CTE have led some states to consider banning American football for children. Some leagues have also introduced restrictions on tackling training.
The NFL admitted during a congressional hearing in 2016 that there is a link between the sport and CTE, after denying this for many years. Since then, the league has paid out over $1.4 billion to retired players who have been affected by brain damage.
It will take several weeks – probably months – before it is known with certainty whether the Manhattan shooter really suffered from CTE.
