Washington State quarterback Tyler Hilinski was suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy when he took his own life this year, according to his family.
CTE, which can only be diagnosed after death, has been found in hundreds of former football players although it is often associated with NFL veterans rather than young athletes. Symptoms of CTE include depression, memory loss and mood swings.
Mark and Kym Hilinski told NBC’s Today that an autopsy had found their son was suffering from stage one CTE. “[Tyler] had the brain of a 65-year-old, which is really hard to take,” his father said. Tyler was 21 at the time of his death.
His parents hesitated to make a direct link between football and their son’s death, however. “Did football kill Tyler? I don’t think so,” Kym Hilinski told Sports Illustrated in a separate interview. “Did he get CTE from football? Probably. Was that the only thing that contributed to his death? I don’t know.”
Hilinski’s family said they hadn’t seen any signs of depression in their son before his death but have set up a foundation to help college athletes dealing with mental illness.
“People need to keep talking about suicide and mental illness and mental health,” Kym Hilinski said. “We need to erase the stigma ... There’s not enough out there for these beautiful athletes that give of themselves to their colleges, but their minds aren’t taken care of.”
Tyler’s brother, Ryan, is also a talented quarterback and has committed to play at South Carolina in 2019. He said he still intends to play in college. “I think Tyler would want me to do the same thing,” he told Sports Illustrated. “I don’t think he’d want me to stop.”
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In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international suicide helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.
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