Parents of Washington State Cougars quarterback Tyler Hilinski, who committed suicide, reveal their son suffered from CTE
Parents of college football player Tyler Hilinski, who was the Washington State quarterback before he allegedly committed suicide in January this year, revealed that their son had actually died of a degenerative brain condition called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
Mark and Kym Hilinski, spoke to Today where they divulged into the circumstances of the young football player's death, and whether their son's medical condition, which has been linked to concussions from playing football multiple times, lead to his eventual death.
In the documentary by by Sports Illustrated, Kym can be heard saying, "Did football kill Tyler? I don't think so. Did he get CTE from football? Probably. Was that the only thing that attributed to his death? I don't know."
Speaking to Hoda Kotb about his son, Mark said, "The medical examiner said he had the brain of a 65-year-old, which is really hard to take. He was the sweetest, most outgoing, giving kid. That was difficult to hear."
The 21-year-old Washington State Cougars quarterback was found dead in his apartment of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound earlier this year, as per reports. The Pullman Police even released a statement confirming the same.
In the statement, the police officers said that they responded to an emergency call, which they traced to an apartment located at 1620 NE Northwood Dr, Aspen Village Apartments at 4:30 pm on January 16. The call, to check on the welfare of Hilinski, who apparently did not show up for practice earlier in the day.
Officers who arrived at the scene reportedly found Hilinski in a pool of blood in the apartment with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. A rifle, as well as a suicide note, was found near the football player's body. Pullman Police detectives and the Whitman County Coroner's Office were said to be conducting a thorough investigation to confirm the suspected cause and manner of death.
Hilinski's star was on the rise. Having enrolled at Washington State University in 2015, he became the backup quarterback for the Washington State Cougars in 2016. As a sophomore, he came off the bench to relieve starting quarterback Luke Falk against the Boise State Broncos and even overcame a deficit to win the game for his team.
Washington State University (WSU) coach Mike Leach expressed his condolences at hearing about Hilinski's passing. In a statement, Leach said: "We are deeply saddened to hear the news of Tyler's passing. He was an incredible young man and everyone who had the privilege of knowing him was better for it. The entire WSU community mourns as thoughts and prayers go out to his family."
WSU Director of Athletics John Johnson also released a statement regarding Helinski's death: "The tragic news today surrounding Tyler Hilinksi is devastating to all. Tyler was a tremendous individual, great friend, and teammate, and he will be deeply missed. Our hearts go out to his family and friends."
The rest of the statement talked about how counseling will available for those who seek it: "Earlier tonight, the football team was brought together and informed of the tragedy. There, they were met by campus and department counseling and psychological services, including athletics' on-staff clinical psychologist and a licensed mental health counselor, along with WSU Athletics medical team. The university will continue to coordinate and provide ongoing counseling care for all student-athletes as long as needed."