NFL football is probably the mopopular sport in America. Its rich history of legends and moments have captivated generations and made the 17-game season, plus the road to the Super Bowl a cash cow for the league, those who run it and the media entities that cover it. Some of the players make a ton of money too, but the cost to their minds, bodies and souls aren’t often worth the fleeting glory.
RELATED: CTE Detected in the Living Using New Research
Shooter, 27, Eliminates Innocent People In Manhattan Building
But along with the glory comes the flipside of NFL fame, and a man who may have felt that he needed to do wrong to shed a light on what was happening to former NFL players. So, 27-year-old Shane Devon Tamura from Las Vegas walked into the lobby of 345 Park Ave., an office building that houses the NFL headquarters and major financial firms, with an M4 rifle on the evening of July 28, and “immediately” opened fire, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference. He shot and killed at least four people, including 36-year-old New York City Police Officer Didarul Islam.
Tisch said the suspect had a “documented mental health history.”
Shane Tamura Says He Suffers From CTE: NFL’s Worst Enemy
Tamura left a note that appeared to blame the NFL for a brain injury, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said during a July 29 appearance on CBS.
“He did have a note on him. The note alluded to that he felt he had CTE, a known brain injury for those who participate in contact sports,” Adams said. “He appeared to have blamed the NFL for his injury.”
CTE is short for “chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE),” a progressive brain disorder related to head injuries, which has been associated with football. Over the years, we have heard stories of NFL players suffering from debilitating brain disease and the common condition known as “CTE.”
From suicide to murder and crime, increased aggression, mental illness and deteriorated cognitive thinking and reasoning. College and NFL players, of all statures, have suffered from brain injuries due to their years of playing football.
Did CTE Cause Death Of Former NFL Player Terry Long?
It’s not a subject that fans, players or anybody for that matter want to spend much time on. No one wants to think about the dark side of a sport that brings them so much purpose and emotional joy. The comradery and fandom in a football stadium can’t be duplicated in America when at its peak.
As the facts of the case are worked out, this tragedy once again puts the NFL’s longstanding dilemma with head injuries in the spotlight. After shooting the innocent victims and turning the gun on himself, Tamura was found with a suicide note, alleging that he suffered from CTE.
“Terry Long football gave me CTE and it caused me to drink a gallon of antifreeze. You can’t go against the NFL, they’ll squash you,” the note allegedly read, according to sources that spoke to CNN. The note reportedly continued that Tamura wanted his brain studied.
Terry Long played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and tragically died by suicide in 2005 after drinking antifreeze. An autopsy revealed he had CTE.
It has not been confirmed whether or not he has CTE, as the condition, according to doctors, can only be properly diagnosed when the person is deceased and their brain is opened up for study.
It’s also not confirmed that Tamura ever played any professional football, although video has surfaced of him being interviewed and listed as a “standout” high school player on the Grenada Hills football team.
The tragedies associated with CTE, from severe cases such as former New England Patriots killer Aaron Hernandez to the many cases that can’t be proven and won’t be acknowledged by the NFL until that player is in the soil continues to grow.
There are people who totally understand the dangers of brain disease and also understand that they are in their current challenged mental and physical state because of football. CTE can develop in players as young as elementary and middle school, according to past reports covered by The Shadow League. It’s a slippery slope and the NFL has tried to alter rules that keep the authenticity of football, but also lessen the chances for concussions, head and neck injuries. News is still developing on this story and the history of Shane Tamura as it relates to his connection to the NFL and football.
Did Shooter Tamura Target NFL Headquarters?
Officials said Tamura immediately shot New York City Police Officer Didarul Islam after entering the building. He then shot a security guard behind a security desk, a woman who took cover behind a pillar and another man in the lobby.
According to reports, the gunman entered an elevator and went to the 33rd floor after shooting the victims, where the building’s owner, Rudin Management, is located and fired several rounds. One person was shot and killed, before Tamura took his own life, Tisch said.
Preliminary investigations reportedly indicate that the gunman may have intended to stop at NFL headquarters, btu as fate would have it, he took the wrong elevator and ended up in Rudin Management, according to Mayor Adams.
“That is where he carried out additional shootings and took the lives of additional employees,” Adams said during his CBS interview.
An NFL employee was reportedly seriously injured in the mass shooting, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a memo to staff members.
“We believe that all of our employees are otherwise safe and accounted for, and the building has nearly been cleared,” Goodell wrote in the memo, obtained by USA TODAY Sports.
