Jason Hairston, a former NFL player and hunting partner of Donald Trump Jr., has died at the age of 47.
The company later said on its website that he “took his own life.”
“I played linebacker, and the way I played the game, I led with my head. I played the way they tell us not to play now,” Hairston told the outlet. “I have all the symptoms of CTE.”
Hairston played football for University of California, Davis, and later played professionally for the San Francisco 49ers. He retired in 1996.
“Jason, I have no words. I will always remember our adventures and sharing a campfire with you. They will be some of my fondest experiences in the outdoors. You were and will continue to be an inspiration to all outdoorsmen and women for generations to come. Thanks for the friendship and the memories buddy. I’m going to miss you. R.I.P,” he wrote on Instagram.
CTE Details
According to the Concussion Legacy Foundation, CTE “is a degenerative brain disease found in athletes, military veterans, and others with a history of repetitive brain trauma. In CTE, a protein called Tau forms clumps that slowly spread throughout the brain, killing brain cells. CTE has been seen in people as young as 17, but symptoms do not generally begin appearing until years after the onset of head impacts.”The “ symptoms of CTE usually appear in a patient’s late 20s or 30s, and affect a patient’s mood and behavior. Some common changes seen include impulse control problems, aggression, depression, and paranoia,” says the website.
It adds: “Cognitive symptoms tend to appear later than mood and behavioral symptoms, and generally first appear in a patient’s 40s or 50s. Patients may exhibit one or both symptom clusters. In some cases, symptoms worsen with time (even if the patient suffers no additional head impacts). In other cases, symptoms may be stable for years before worsening.”
