Coroner Orders Special Examination of Brain of Ohio State Football Player Kosta Karageorge
Source: NBC News-1 hour ago
An Ohio coroner on Monday ordered a special examination to look for signs of traumatic brain injury in the Ohio State football player who apparently shot himself to death. The body of the player, Kosta Karageorge, was found in a trash bin on Sunday. His mother, Susan, told police that her son had suffered several concussions and had bouts of extreme confusion.
She said he sent her a text message four days before his body was found, saying that concussions had messed up his head. "I am sorry if I am an embarrassment," the text said. The coroner, Dr. Anahi Ortiz of Franklin County, told NBC News that the special examination, in which a pathologist will examine slides from the player's brain, was not routine but has been conducted in other cases.
In this case, she said, it was because of Karageorge's reported history of concussions and because he played football and wrestled. Earlier on Monday, Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer said he had been told not to talk about Karageorge's medical history. A team doctor has also said he cannot comment on the medical care of athletes. The Ohio State wrestling coach told The Columbus Dispatch that Karageorge, who wrestled for the Buckeyes for three years, had no documented concussions. Meyer called the apparent suicide an "incredible tragedy." "We'll never get over it," he said.
Karageorge was a walk-on and was recognized Saturday on Senior Day as the Buckeyes beat archrival Michigan. Ohio State plays for the Big Ten championship this weekend. "To overcome the incredible tragedy that happened last night this is a real challenge," Meyer said. A growing body of research shows that repeated concussions can cause permanent brain damage, and organized football has come under criticism for ignoring the danger for too long. A federal judge has given preliminary approval to a settlement under which the NFL would pay thousands of former players for concussion claims. In college sports, the NCAA has proposed spending $70 million on a program that would monitor athletes for brain trauma.
Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/coroner-orders-examination-brain-ohio-state-player-kosta-karageorge-n259111
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from a mTBI. I suffered from confusion and found myself struggling to get around the city I have lived in for my entire life. It gets VERY scary, and it is easy to feel as if you will never get better. I found myself in a dark place at one point and was lucky/aware enough to recognize what was going on and get help. TBI is no joke -- I find it hard to watch contact sports now that I know first hand the damage that can come from one wrong hit. A tragedy for this young man and his family.
