PULLMAN, Wash. –
The family of the Washington State football player who died of suicide in January said the 21-year-old quarterback had extensive brain damage that’s been linked to concussions from playing the sport.
Tyler Hilinski was found dead in his apartment with a gunshot wound and a suicide note on Jan. 16.
Mark and Kym Hilinski told NBC’s “Today” show on Tuesday that the Mayo Clinic requested to do an autopsy of their son’s brain. The interview comes alongside the debut of a new Sports Illustrated documentary about the family’s search for answers.
The family in those interviews said the autopsy results indicated that their son had signs of extensive brain damage known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, which has been found in hundreds of former NFL players.
The sophomore quarterback was last seen alive the same day, when he dropped a teammate off on campus for morning class. Police said the rifle belonged to a teammate and that Hilinski took it without the teammate’s knowledge on or before Jan. 12.
Kym Hilinski said they were shocked and numb after finding out that he had shot himself. She said he’d never shot a gun until the day before he died.
