We just experienced another tragic mass shooting in New York City. Our hearts and prayers go out to the families who lost their loved ones as they grieve and experience the aftermath of this tragedy. It makes us all stop and think and leaves us with a sense of vulnerability.
The shooter was Shane Tamura, a 27-year-old Las Vegas casino worker who intentionally went to New York to shoot individuals in the office of the National Football League. He believed he had Traumatic Chronic Encephalopathy (CTE). He had regularly met with doctors, including a neurologist, and received yearly MRI exams and various treatments seeking to diagnose the cause and stop the pain.
Tamura began having headaches while he was playing high school football in Southern California and they continued into adulthood. Tamura took acetaminophen or ibuprofen, but soon after moving to Las Vegas in 2019 searched for more help. Doctors prescribed various medications for Tamura to try to find groupings that could offer relief, the source said.
As in most mass shootings there is a clear history of mental health and physical problems that professionals were aware of but could not resolve. There is no test for CTE until there is an autopsy. However, it was clear that he had a series of chronic issues that caused his eventual break where he was driven to a desperate response to his illness. There is no rationale that makes sense for his actions. Yet he did what he did to prove a point at the cost of other’s lives, which has left families in disarray, in grief and in great loss.
We do not know if what happened to him was a mental break due to CTE from playing high school football. However, we do know that his symptoms started then and that he was seeking testing and treatments for his pain. Also, he had some significant incidences where his mental state was evaluated because of his behavioral responses to stress.
This whole scenario is tragic, but it does leave us with some serious considerations when we encounter our kids who demonstrate these kinds of symptoms. For parents and coaches who have children in contact sports, it reminds us to be vigilant when there are injuries, particularly in the head area and we see symptoms like headaches, mood changes, lack of sleep and undue irritability. If those symptoms become present, immediate steps should be taken to seek medical help and cease the activities that created those injuries.
Open discussions between athletes, families, and physicians are crucial to assess the risks and benefits of participation in contact sports and to make informed decisions about continued participation. Early detection and management of concussions and other head injuries are essential to minimize the potential for long-term brain damage.
We need to work harder to implement and enforce safety protocols, such as proper tackling techniques in football and reducing the number of repetitive head impacts. Finally, continued research is needed to better understand the causes, progression, and long-term effects of CTE to develop effective prevention and treatment strategies.
Research indicates that CTE can have an impact on our kids when they play contact sports and experience head injuries. It can seriously impair the brain functions that are necessary for a healthy life. We need to protect our young athletes from such a tragic fate.
Gerry Vassar
President/CEO
