By the time he killed himself in January at age 21, late Washington State quarterback Tyler Hilinski’s brain looked like it belonged in the head of a 65-year-old, according to his parents.
During an appearance on NBC’s Today show, Hilinski’s parents revealed Stage 1 chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) had ravaged their son’s brain and likely played a role in his death.
Hilinski shot himself in the head with a rifle. It’s believed to be the second time he fired a gun.
Before his suicide, Hilinski had been less responsive to calls and text messages but showed no other outward signs that something was amiss, according to his folks.
“Did football kill Tyler? I don’t think so,” Kym Hilinski said in a Sports Illustrated documentary about Tyler’s life. “Did he get CTE from [playing] football? Probably. Was that the only thing that contributed to his death? I don’t know.”
Were he still alive, Hilinski would have competed for Washington State’s starting job in 2018.
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