Study My Brain, Please": The Silent Epidemic in American Football

Profit, Denial, and the Price Paid in Silence

Yesterday, July 29, 2025, the nation was rocked by a tragic shooting at 345 Park Avenue, the headquarters of the National Football League. The gunman, Shane Tamura, killed four people before taking his own life. In his wallet, authorities discovered a three-page note referencing chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a brain disease linked to repeated head trauma. His final words: "Study my brain please. I'm sorry."

As painful and horrifying as this act was, we must not ignore what Tamura's final message points to: a decades-long crisis within the sport of American football, one that continues to be shrouded in denial, profit, and silence.

I. The Hidden Cost of Glory CTE is a degenerative brain disease that has been found in the brains of hundreds of former football players. It is caused by repeated blows to the head—even subconcussive ones—and symptoms often emerge years after the hits have stopped: depression, aggression, memory loss, suicidal ideation. Former Pittsburgh Steeler Terry Long took his own life in 2005 by drinking a gallon of antifreeze. Junior Seau shot himself in the chest, reportedly so his brain could be studied. Dave Duerson did the same. Now, Shane Tamura joins this tragic lineage.

II. A League of Denial The NFL, for years, denied any causal link between football and brain trauma. League-appointed committees downplayed findings, discredited researchers like Dr. Bennet Omalu and only began acknowledging CTE after public outcry and legal pressure. The $1 billion settlement with former players may sound large, but it is a fraction of the league's revenue. And it does little to address the deeper culture of concealment that allowed generations of players to be exposed without informed consent.

III. Youth in the Crosshairs Shane Tamura was not a professional athlete. He played high school football. This is the sobering reality: most head trauma in football happens long before players ever get paid. Friday night lights can lead to lifelong neurological shadows. When parents enroll their children in tackle football at age 6, 7, or 8, are they told the full risks? Do they understand that glory can come at the cost of future sanity?

IV. A Call for Truth, Not Shame Former 49ers linebacker Chris Borland famously walked away from the game in his prime, saying, "I just honestly want to do what's best for my health... I don't think it's worth the risk." He was ridiculed by some and applauded by others. What he demonstrated, however, was courage—the same kind we need from coaches, school administrators, parents, and especially league executives. Honesty must replace obfuscation.

Conclusion: The Final Tackle Shane Tamura committed an unforgivable act. But his final request—"Study my brain please"—echoes louder than we might want to admit. It reveals the long, unspoken consequence of America's most popular sport. Until we stop treating CTE as collateral damage in a billion-dollar industry, until we stop sacrificing health for entertainment, we will see more lives unravel both publicly and privately.

The time has come to confront the danger head-on—with facts, compassion, and above all, truth.