CTE is known to be a degenerative disease affecting the brain found in people who receive repeated blows to the head. It can only be recognized through direct tissue examination after death. Jordan Parsons died at the age of 25 in May after a hit-and-run incident in Florida.
The alleged driver who struck Parsons, Dennis Wright, was arrested a week after the accident. Wright, 28, is facing numerous charges of felony, which includes vehicular homicide. He is also a multiple DUI offender.
Dr. Bennet Omalu, a forensic pathologist who found CTE in the brain of the late Hall of Fame Professional Footballer, Mike Webster in 2002, publicized his diagnosis on Parsons to The Boston Globe on Friday.
Omalu noted that it is impossible for the CTE in Parson's brain to have been caused by the vehicular accident as the disease is "chronic" and "develops over time." In Parsons' last fight, he suffered a split-decision loss to Bubba Jenkins at Bellator 146 in November 2015 in which he was sent to the canvass by a head kick.
Twitter user Tim Miller reacted to a twitter report by MMA Junkie saying:
@MMAjunkie this is terrible, as a scientist, 1 can't b sure his CTE is related 2 MMA even though there must b a high degree of suspicion.
— tim miller (@olskoool) October 21, 2016
Lawsuits have been filed against the National Football League (NFL) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) after diagnosis of CTE in some of their athletes. Hockey players are also taking legal action against the National Hockey League (NHL) for similar cases.
Omalu's diagnosis on Jordan Parsons, mixed martial arts institutions such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Bellator MMA could be facing lawsuits in the future. Omalu asserted that the discovery confirms that the danger of being prone to CTE is not restricted to the contact sports: football, wrestling, and hockey.
Neuropathologist, Dr. Julia K. Kofler did the examination on Parsons remains. Kofler works at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Presbyterian, a college associated with Omalu's charitable foundation. Omalu pleaded the people involved in the mixed martial arts business to unite and "identify the problems and find solutions."
