As New York City police continue to investigate Shane Tamura, a Black man who allegedly shot and killed four people before taking his own life on Monday (July 28) in Manhattan this week, a recently discovered note might hold the answers to questions about the shooter’s motive. In a three-page handwritten note, Tamura claimed he suffered from CTE before blaming the NFL for his condition, reigniting past concerns over the connection between sports like football and the brain disease.
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Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is associated with head trauma experienced in high impact sports. Although the disease can only be diagnosed after death, many former sports players– especially NFL players– have advocated for the league to help combat future cases. In its most severe form, CTE can lead to violent outbursts, erratic episodes, and fatal actions. Speaking of, Tamura targeted the NFL’s headquarters on Park Ave., but took the wrong elevator, per officials. In the note, which was found in his wallet, he accused the league of concealing the dangers to players’ brains for profit.
From the notorious case of Aaron Hernandez to the tragedy of Phillip Adams, we’re looking back at some of the most shocking and gut-wrenching cases of athletes who unknowingly suffered from CTE.
Chris Henry
At only 26 years old, Chris Henry had a promising NFL career ahead of him. That was until the night of Dec. 17, 2009, when he and his fiancée Loleini Tonga got into a domestic dispute, the Statesboro Herald reported. Tonga reportedly got into a pickup truck and tried to leave Henry. That’s when he hopped onto the bed of the moving truck. Witnesses said he yelled to Tonga, “If you take off, I’m going to jump off the truck and kill myself,” according to ESPN. It remains unclear if Henry jumped or fell, but Henry crashed to the ground and fractured his skull. Police ruled his death an accident, and no charges were filed against Tonga. Six months later, Henry’s brain was analyzed, and he was diagnosed with CTE.
Rise of Aaron Hernandez
The story of Aaron Hernandez is perhaps the most infamous involving an NFL player with CTE. The disgraced tight end was once a star on the New England Patriots. That was until he was arrested for murder in 2013 and later tried for a separate double-homicide. But earlier in his childhood, Hernandez struggled in an abusive home, according to the Boston Globe. He became involved in drugs and a criminal lifestyle by high school, but despite his personal woes, Hernandez was a football standout. This landed him at the University of Florida and a national championship in his first season. But after he was picked in the fourth round of the NFL draft, the Connecticut native continued to get into trouble…
Fall of Aaron Hernandez
Hernandez repeatedly failed drug tests, got into fights at clubs and had violent outbursts, according to ABC News. In Aug. 2012, Hernandez even signed a five-year contract extension with the Patriots worth up to $40 million. Days earlier, two immigrants from Cape Verde were gunned down. Less than a year later, Odin Lloyd was found shot to death in June 2013. It only took days for police to connect Hernandez to the murder of Lloyd. During his trial, Hernandez was hit with two more murder charges for the Aug. 2012 double homicide, CNN reported. In 2015, a court handed down a guilty verdict for Lloyd’s killing, sending the former Patriot to prison for life. He was found not guilty of the 2012 double homicide. Five days later, the 27-year-old committed suicide in his cell in 2017, per the Associated Press. Hernandez’s death came on the same day the Patriots visited the White House for their Super Bowl LI win. When he was diagnosed with CTE months after his death, researchers said they had never seen “that kind of damage in such a young individual.”
Jovan Belcher
Jovan Belcher was a father and a linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2012. But three months after he and his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, welcomed their daughter, a domestic dispute broke out on the morning of Dec. 1, 2012, CNN reported. This led to Belcher pulling a gun and shooting Perkins dead. The 25-year-old proceeded to drive to the Chiefs’ practice facility around 8 a.m. with a loaded gun. “I need help! I wasn’t able to get enough help,” Belcher reportedly told Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli at the field, according to USA Today. “I appreciate everything you all have done for me with trying to help… but it wasn’t enough. I have hurt my girl already and I can’t go back now,” Belcher added before falling to his knees and shooting himself in the head. Days after the murder-suicide, the Chiefs set up a trust fund to financially support Belcher’s daughter, The Guardian reported. Belcher was later diagnosed with CTE.
Chris Benoit
People tend to associate CTE with football, but in truth, this form of brain damage can be associated with any type of chronic blows to the head. In the case of Canadian professional wrestler, Chris Benoit, a 22-year career had a harsh impact on his brain. On June 24, 2007, police discovered Benoit, his wife and their seven-year-old son dead in their home. After a formal investigation, authorities determined Benoit strangled his wife and suffocated his son before hanging himself, according to ABC News. He was 40 years old. “These extreme changes throughout Chris Benoit’s brain are enough to explain aberrant behavior, including suicide and even homicide,” Julian Bailes, chairman of neurosurgery at West Virginia University, told ESPN.
The Tragic Story of Phillip Adams
The NFL community was rocked in 2021 when news that former San Francisco 49ers’ player Phillip Adams killed six people, including a five-year-old and a nine-year-old, in South Carolina, according to Fox News. Adams later died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound during a standoff with police. The motive behind why the 32-year-old would target a home and shoot the owners, their grandchildren and two people working on the house remains unclear.
How the NFL let Phillip Adams Down
Adams also played for the Las Vegas Raiders, where he suffered two concussions over a three game span in 2012, ESPN reported. He ended his career with the Atlanta Falcons in 2015. If he had retired a year prior, Adams would’ve been eligible for testing under a concussion-related injury settlement between the NFL and former players. Adams’ father, Alonzo Adams, told WCNC-TV his son was “a good kid,” but says, “I think the football messed him up.” Adams’ family spoke out after he was diagnosed with CTE saying, “After going through medical records from his football career, we do know that he was desperately seeking help from the NFL but was denied all claims due to his inability to remember things,” ESPN reported.
Vincent Jackson
The same week Phillip Adams was confirmed to have CTE, another former player, Vincent Jackson, was diagnosed with the same disease. Jackson died of natural causes with the autopsy citing chronic alcohol abuse, according to ESPN. His body was found on Feb. 15, 2021, during a wellness check. The 38-year-old reportedly suffered from depression, extreme social isolation, mood swings, paranoia and progressive memory loss before he died. These are all considered symptoms of CTE, reports say.
Conrad Dobler
Once dubbed “the NFL’s dirtiest player,” Conrad Dobler built up a harsh reputation during his professional career in the ’70s. But it wouldn’t be until his death in 2023 that reports would confirm he had Stage 3 CTE, ESPN reported. “My dad loved the game of football, but his love for the game took a toll on his body, his mind and his relationships,” said his daughter, Erin Lewin. “His CTE diagnosis provides a sense of closure in terms of justifying his neurological and behavioral issues that took a toll not only on him but on all of us who loved and cared for him.”
Kevin Ellison
Before his death, family and friends of Kevin Ellison said he was reportedly “disoriented and didn’t know where he was at,” the L.A. Times reported. Five years earlier, Ellison was charged with federal arson for setting his bed on fire at a Washington lodge claiming “God told him to set the fire,” PEOPLE reported. In total, Ellison had to pay more than $80,000. In Oct. 2018, the former San Diego Chargers player walked onto a California freeway and was struck by a minivan, NBC News reported.
Junior Seau
Junior Seau played most of his professional football career with the San Diego Chargers. He was well-loved in his hometown of San Diego and was a well-decorated linebacker, so when he committed suicide in 2012– just two years after retiring– fans were devastated and confused. His family confirmed his CTE diagnosis in 2013, ESPN reported. According to them, Seau would often get violent and suffered from mood swings, depression, forgetfulness and insomnia during his final years.
Michael Keck
Michael Keck told his wife he wanted to donate his brain to medical research before he died. Keck was only 25 years old when he died from a congenital heart defect, according to NBC News. Honoring his wishes, Keck’s brain was sent to Boston University for research. “It was the worst CTE I’ve seen in an individual this young,” Dr. Ann McKee said. “It was quite widespread.” Keck reported memory loss, trouble concentrating and difficulty regulating his emotions before his death.
Demaryius Thomas
At just 33 years old, Demaryius Thomas announced his retirement from the NFL. “I’m so grateful for that and now I can move on. I’m happy, I’m healthy. And now I can try to find my next itch,” Thomas said. The long-time Denver Bronco had multiple health scares towards the end of his life, including a severe car accident– which left him with a seizure disorder– and on-field injuries. But months after walking away from the NFL, he was found dead in his Georgia home, the NFL reported. He suffered from cardiac arrest after having a seizure. When Thomas was diagnosed with CTE, his mother said it helped to explain some of her son’s behaviors, according to CNN.
Paul Oliver
In 2013, former San Diego Charger Paul Oliver had reached a low. According to his wife, Chelsea, the football player was “depressed” after being released from the New Orleans Saints after a training camp. This on top of thunderings of divorce between the couple pushed him over the edge. On Sept. 24, 2013, Oliver and his wife got into a verbal argument. The defensive back allegedly shoved Chelsea, prompting her to leave the house with their two young children, CNN reported. When they returned, the arguing continued. That’s when Oliver retrieved a gun and threatened to kill himself in front of his family. He fired a warning shot in the air before turning the gun on himself. The 29-year-old was diagnosed with Stage 2 CTE.
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