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New York Times
an hour ago
- Health
- New York Times
What is CTE? Explaining the disease referenced by New York gunman at NFL HQ building
New York Mayor Eric Adams said a note found on the gunman who carried out a deadly Midtown Manhattan office shooting on Monday evening mentioned the NFL, and that authorities 'have reason to believe he was focused on the league.' The three-page note, according to the New York Times, criticized the league for concealing the sport's safety issues and mentioned chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the degenerative brain disease that has been connected to repetitive brain trauma. Advertisement 'The motive appeared to be connected to the shooter's belief that he was suffering from CTE and (a claim that) he was an ex-NFL player,' Adams said on CNN. 'Those items just don't pan out. He never played for the NFL.' The shooter was identified as 27-year-old Shane Devin Tamura, according to New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch. Tamura played high school football in California, according to MaxPreps, and appeared on the roster for Granada Hills Charter in 2015, but he never played professionally. Let's examine what CTE is and its connection to football and the NFL. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a degenerative brain disease most commonly found in athletes, particularly those who participate in contact sports such as football. It has also been linked to others with a history of repetitive brain trauma, such as military veterans. One of the leading experts in developing the understanding of CTE is Dr. Ann McKee, a neurologist who is the director of the Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and Boston University CTE Center. 'The most common neurodegeneration that we know about is Alzheimer's Disease,' McKee said. 'But CTE is similar. In the case of CTE, it's triggered by repetitive head trauma. We think that after sufficient amount of head trauma, this disease starts to develop in your brain and then becomes a progressive, widespread brain disease, as time goes on.' CTE is defined neuropathologically. It's not possible to make the diagnosis while a person is still alive, meaning a definitive CTE diagnosis can only be made after a person has died and the brain is preserved. According to the New York Times, Tamura's note included a request to 'Study my brain please. I'm sorry.' While a definitive diagnosis can't be made while a person is still alive, there are signs that one may be suffering from CTE. Personality shifts and drastic changes in a person's behavior or mood are common symptoms. Advertisement 'There are things like aggression and violent behaviors,' McKee said in the video. 'Impulsivity, a short fuse. Another common set of symptoms is memory loss and difficulty planning and organizing and difficulty with attention.' CTE is not a stagnant disease. The mildest form of CTE starts in one area of the brain, but the condition gets progressively worse as one ages, spreading to other parts of the nervous system. According to a 2023 report by the Boston University CTE Center, 345 of 376 deceased former NFL players whose brains were studied by the program were diagnosed with CTE. The first autopsy done on an NFL player that revealed CTE was in 2002, on former Pittsburgh Steelers center Mike Webster. Webster died of a heart attack on Sept. 24, 2002, at age 50, and was also diagnosed with CTE after his death. In December 2009, former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry died after falling out of the back of a moving truck. An autopsy revealed that the 26-year-old had CTE, the first instance of a player who had died while still active in the NFL being diagnosed with CTE. Over the years, numerous players have been in the headlines for CTE diagnoses. Three years after completing his Hall of Fame career, linebacker Junior Seau died after shooting himself in the chest, and was later diagnosed with CTE. Former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez died by suicide inside his prison cell after being found guilty of first-degree murder. Former Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher was also diagnosed with CTE after he died in a murder-suicide, first killing his girlfriend and then driving to the Chiefs' facility and shooting himself. The disease isn't only connected to those who played professionally. Another Boston University study of 152 young athletes who experienced repetitive head impacts and died under the age of 30 showed that 63 (41.4 percent) had evidence of CTE. Among those 63 with CTE, 49 of them played football and most of them didn't play above the high school or college level. Advertisement Beginning in 2011, nearly 5,000 former players sued the NFL for head trauma they endured during their professional playing careers. The lawsuits alleged the NFL knew about the health risks for years, but withheld that information from its players. Eventually, a settlement was reached that promised to provide benefits to retired NFL players and their families, including baseline testing as well as an uncapped compensation fund for those suffering from conditions such as dementia, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or ALS. Yet complaints have followed about how the NFL approves or denies player claims to the fund. According to a 2024 report by The Washington Post, the settlement had approved nearly 900 dementia cases since 2017 but denied nearly 1,100 others, including about 300 players who had been diagnosed by a network of doctors the league funded to evaluate players showing early signs of dementia.
New York Times
3 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
What we know about the shooting at NFL headquarters
On Monday night at 6:28 p.m., 911 calls began pouring in from a Midtown Manhattan skyscraper, where a gunman had opened fire. The high-rise houses the NFL league headquarters and offices for several other prominent companies. Authorities believe the shooter was focused on the NFL when he entered the building and killed four people and injured a fifth, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday morning. The gunman then shot and killed himself. A note found in his wallet was critical of the NFL and mentioned CTE, the degenerative brain disease associated with repeated hits to the head. Advertisement Here's what we know about the situation: Shane Tamura of Las Vegas was identified as the shooter by New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch. Tamura, 27, was seen on surveillance footage exiting a black BMW shortly before 6:30 p.m. on Monday, carrying an assault rifle in his right hand. He wore sunglasses, a navy blazer and a blue dress shirt as he walked into the building at 345 Park Ave., between 51st and 52nd Streets. Tisch said law enforcement partners in Las Vegas shared that Tamura had a documented history of mental health issues, and he appeared to have driven across the country in his BMW, which is registered to him in Nevada. Tamura never played football in the NFL or in college, but he did play in high school in California, according to MaxPreps. He appeared on the roster for Granada Hills Charter in 2015, where his positions were listed as running back and defensive back. Walter Roby, Tamura's coach at Granada Hills, told Fox 11 that Tamura was a quiet, hard-working player. 'Could I have done more? Could I help the kid? Could I have reached out to him or could you reach out to me? It's just a lot of things I'm trying to process right now,' Roby said. According to The New York Times, Tamura left a three-page note in his wallet criticizing the NFL for concealing the dangers of playing football. Adams said Tuesday that the note referenced CTE, which can only be diagnosed through an autopsy. 'The motive appeared to be connected to the shooter's belief that he was suffering from CTE and (a claim that) he was an ex-NFL player,' Adams told CNN. 'Those items just don't pan out. He never played for the NFL.' In the excerpts of the note reported by The Times, Tamura mentions former NFL player Terry Long, who died by suicide in 2005. Long, an offensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1984 to 1991, was diagnosed with CTE after his death. Advertisement Tamura's note was found in his wallet after he fatally shot himself in the chest. Former NFL players Junior Seau and Dave Duerson also died after shooting themselves in the chest. Both were diagnosed with CTE after their deaths. Duerson's final note to his family finished with: 'Please, see that my brain is given to the NFL's brain bank.' In Tamura's letter, he wrote: 'Study my brain please. I'm sorry.' The NFL has offices on multiple floors in the high-rise building at 345 Park Ave. Other companies with offices in the building include Deutsche Bank, the financial firm KPMG and investment management firm Blackstone. The building is located blocks from Grand Central Terminal and St. Patrick's Cathedral in a heavily trafficked area of Midtown Manhattan. Once Tamura was inside the building, he shot four people on the ground floor, killing three of them, including a uniformed New York City police officer and a security guard. He then got on an elevator, allowing a woman to exit unharmed, and went to the 33rd floor, where he killed another person before shooting himself. Adams said investigators believe Tamura wanted to reach the NFL offices, but he took the wrong elevator. A high-ranking NFL employee told The Athletic's Dianna Russini that an employee in the league's finance department — identified in an NFL memo to team owners as Craig Clementi — was struck in the back by a bullet during the shooting. 'One of our employees was seriously injured in this attack,' Goodell said in a statement to NFL staff. 'He is currently in the hospital and in stable condition. NFL staff are at the hospital and we are supporting his family.' Police officer Didarul Islam, a three-year veteran of the NYPD and an immigrant from Bangladesh, was among the deceased, Adams shared. Blackstone said an executive, Wesley LePatner, was also among the victims. Another victim, security guard Aland Etienne, was identified by the union 32BJ.
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Who is Terry Long? The football player mentioned in NYC shooter Shane Tamura's final note
The tragic former NFL player Terry Long was named in a suicide note by Shane Tamura, the gunman targeting NFL headquarters when he opened fire on Monday evening at 345 Park Avenue in Manhattan. After killing four people, Tamura shot himself in the chest and died. He failed to reach NFL HQ after taking the wrong elevator, New York mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday. The 27-year-old was found with a note which blamed CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), a brain condition caused by head trauma that is rife among former football players. Specifically, he said he blamed ex-NFL player Long for having the disease, which can only be officially diagnosed once someone has died. 'Terry Long football gave me CTE and it caused me to drink a gallon of antifreeze,' Tamura wrote, as per CNN. 'You can't go against the NFL, they'll squash you. Study my brain please I'm sorry. Tell Rick I'm sorry for everything.' Long died when he was 45 in June 2005, commiting suicide by drinking antifreeze, a revised 2006 death certificate said - a coroner initially ruled that he died of meningitis. Long was found unresponsive at his home and died in hospital and was later diagnosed with CTE. Long played for the Pittsburgh Steelers as a guard throughout his seven-year career, which ended in 1991. That year, he was suspended for violating the NFL's steroid policy and attempted suicide. A report from the LA Times in 1991 says that in a statement to police, Long says he tried to kill himself by swallowing 'two or three sleeping pills,' contradicting earlier reports he had taken rat poison. Long later checked into the psychiatric ward at Allegheny General Hospital for a mental health evaluation. In the months before Long's suicide, he was also facing legal issues. In March of 2005, he was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges he fraudulently obtained loans for a chicken-processing plant whichprosecutors allege he burned to the ground in September 2003 for the insurance money. He was arrested in late March that year and released on $10,000 bond. Furthermore, he reportedly was struggling with personal issues too. At the time he died, Long's neighbor said he was separated from his second wife and was depressed about that as well as the federal charges he faced. After his death, Lond was ruled to have sustained CTE. His name is among hundreds of former NFL players to have been diagnosed with the condition after their death. Long was born in South Carolina and played at college level for the East Carolina Pirates from 1980 until 1983. Tamura, meanwhile, was believed to have been an aspiring football player. He played football at his high school in California as a running back. 'He came in, worked hard, kept his nose down,' his former coach, Walter Roby, told NBC.
New York Post
8 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Post
NYC gunman Shane Tamura referenced ex-NFL player Terry Long — who had CTE — in note slamming league
The crazed gunman behind the deadly Manhattan shooting left behind a note referencing former NFL star Terry Long — the Pittsburgh Steelers player who was diagnosed with CTE after downing antifreeze to kill himself, sources said. Shane Tamura, 27, killed an NYPD officer and three other people on Monday evening when he stormed the Midtown skyscraper that's home to the football league's headquarters. In the wake of the bloodshed, cops discovered a rambling note where Tamura mentioned the ex-NFL star and claimed that he, too, suffered from CTE – a brain injury linked to head trauma. Advertisement 4 Terry Long played for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Getty Images 4 Shane Tamura played football in high school and was a standout player. DailyNews PrepSports 'Terry Long football gave me CTE and it caused me to drink a gallon of antifreeze,' the note stated, according to sources. 4 Gunman Shane Tamura seen toting a rifle before shooting and killing four people in Midtown on Monday, July 28, 2025. Obtained by NY Post Advertisement 'You can't go against the NFL, they'll squash you.' 4 Running back Tim Worley #38 of the Pittsburgh Steelers runs with the football as guard Terry Long #74 and tight end Mike Mularkey. Getty Images 'Please study brain for CTE. I'm sorry. The league knowingly concealed the dangers to our brains to maximize profits. They failed us.' Long, who was an offensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the late 80s, was diagnosed with CTE after he killed himself in 2005 by downing antifreeze.
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Deion Sanders posts rare health update ahead of press conference: ‘Feeling great!'
Deion Sanders has shared a rare update about his health on social media. This comes as the Colorado head coach, who has been out of the spotlight for much of the offseason due to lingering health problems, announced he will be holding a press conference Monday with his medical team. Colorado head coach Deion Sanders posted an update on social media ahead of his press conference.(AP) According to the New York Post, staffers from CU Anschutz and UC Health will join 'Coach Prime Time' at the conference. Early Friday morning, Sanders posted a rare public note after months of relative silence on X that read, 'Back and Feeling Great!' Also read: Deion Sanders stepping down amid health struggles? Colorado's 'Prime Time' faces questions ahead of press conference Deion Sanders' absence The 57-year-old has been largely absent from the spring and summer team workouts. ESPN noted he also skipped mandatory football camps, which raised eyebrows given his normally high-profile presence. Sanders has not shared many specifics, and when he has, it has been vague or offhanded. In a conversation back in May with ex-NFL corner Asante Samuel, he hinted at the seriousness of what he was facing: 'What I'm dealing with right now is at a whole other level.' This is not the first time Sanders' health has been in the news. In 2021, the NFL Hall of Famer had two toes amputated due to circulation issues. Then in 2023, he underwent surgery for blood clots in his left leg. At the Big 12 media day earlier this month, he got visibly irritated when asked about his health, but brushed off any serious concern, per the NYP report. 'I'm already back. I'm here today. I'm handling my responsibilities… I can't wait. Some of the young players I haven't even met yet. I'm so excited about that,' he told ESPN on July 9. Also read: Deion Sanders stepping down amid health struggles? Colorado's 'Prime Time' faces questions ahead of press conference Deion Sanders' recovery in Texas Sanders spent much of the past few months recovering at his home base in Canton, Texas. His children were with him, including his son Deion Jr., who has posted sporadic updates through YouTube. 'You know I'm still going through something. I ain't all the way recovered,' Sanders said in a video uploaded July 20. In a follow-up video posted July 23, Deion Jr. added, 'It was like the battle that was fought and won here. That is like the main important thing.' The elder Sanders also made a recent visit to see son Shilo at the Buccaneers' facility in Tampa, as the younger safety works to make the roster as an undrafted free agent. Tough road ahead for Colorado As Sanders prepares to enter his third year coaching the Buffaloes, he has a steep hill to climb. His two biggest stars - Travis Hunter and quarterback son Shedeur - are off to the NFL. Colorado kicks off its season at home on August 29 against Georgia Tech. With Coach Prime finally reentering the spotlight, all eyes will be on Boulder. FAQs: 1. Why was Deion Sanders absent this offseason? He was dealing with a serious but undisclosed health issue. 2. When is Deion Sanders' press conference? It's scheduled for Monday, July 28. 3. Who is joining Sanders at the press conference? Medical staff from CU Anschutz and UC Health will join the Colorado head coach. 4. What health problems has Sanders faced in the past? He has had two toes amputated and surgery for blood clots. 5. When does Colorado's football season start? They play Georgia Tech at home on August 29.
