It’s Super Bowl Sunday, and there’s a slight shadow over the NFL and other impact sports in the wake of the conversation spurred by the movie concussion. The news this week of star BMX athlete Dave Mirra’s suicide has raised more questions about the possible link between chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and the depression that apparently led to his suicide. Here’s an excerpt from USA Today‘s story on the subject, and if you’re an athlete in the greater Cleveland area who is struggling with depression, we hope you’ll reach out for an evaluation and treatment.
Greenville mayor Allen Thomas mentioned at the news conference that Mirra — like many action sports stars — took several big hits in his career. He hinted that Mirra could have suffered from the debilitating brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which has affected numerous NFL players. Depression and lack of impulse control are a couple of the symptoms linked to CTE.
“This is young man that had a pretty had a pretty rugged sports career and took a lot of injuries in his career,” said Thomas, a friend of Mirra. “You have to give pause, think and wonder as we hear about brain trauma in football and other sports, whether that played a factor. I don’t know if that’s a case.
“I hope we solve this mystery like we did with Junior Seau and others, and learn from this.”