For Tyler Sash, the writing may have already been on the wall when he passed away tragically back in September at the age of 27. The former defensive back overdosed of pain medication. But just one year earlier, he was also involved in a bizarre incident with police where he led them on a chase while riding a scooter, and he had to be restrained by a taser.
The last year of Sash’s life may make a bit more sense now, as doctors have confirmed that he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease.
Last week, representatives from Boston University and the Concussion Legacy Foundation notified the Sash family that CTE had been diagnosed in Tyler’s brain and that the disease, which can be confirmed only posthumously, had advanced to a stage rarely seen in someone his age.
Dr. Ann McKee, chief of neuropathology at the V.A. Boston Healthcare System and a professor of neurology and pathology at the Boston University School of Medicine who conducted the examination, said Tuesday that the severity of the C.T.E. in Sash’s brain was about the same as the level found in the brain of the former N.F.L. star Junior Seau, who committed suicide in 2012 at age 43.
Sash’s older brother, Josh, said Tyler suffered at least five concussions throughout his football career, and that’s just the ones they know about. Then there were also countless severe hits where a concussion was not diagnosed, which in a way, could have been even more damaging, because it’s less likely that he then would have sat out for an extended period of time to recover.
“My son knew something was wrong, but he couldn’t express it,” his mother Barnetta Sash said Monday night. “He was such a good person, and it’s sad that he struggled so with this — not knowing where to go with it. Now it makes sense. The part of the brain that controls impulses, decision-making and reasoning was damaged badly.”
Nothing can ever take away the pain of losing a family member. But for the Sash family, at least they can have some peace knowing that his behavior during the last year of his life has a confirmed scientific explanation.
[via NY Times]
