Part #3 Hot Topic: These Were Youth, High School & College Football Star Players

Article #3 of 10 Part Series 

 They Were Stars Before They Broke: Youth, High School & College Football Players Who Paid Brain With CTE

Professional legends make headlines, but most of the young athletes whose brains show signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) never reached fame or a paycheck. They were high school captains, college stars, scholarship hopefuls—future heroes of stadium lights. Yet, in the biggest study to date of young athletes’ brains, dozens of them showed evidence of CTE before age 30, many without ever playing professionally.

This article confronts the uncomfortable truth the national sports media rarely covers: CTE doesn’t wait for your jersey to be retired—it shows up long before that.

The Silent Epidemic in Young Athletes

A landmark brain bank study published in JAMA Neurology examined 152 brains from athletes who died before age 30 after exposure to repetitive head impacts (RHI) in contact sports such as football.

• 41 % (63) had neuropathological evidence of CTE.

• Nearly three-quarters of those diagnosed had played football at the youth, high school, or college level.

• Some never played beyond high school, yet still developed early-stage brain pathology.

Think about that: kids whose identities were tied to Friday night lights, campus glory, and college dreams are now part of medical data showing irreversible brain disease—before they ever entered the NFL draft.

CTE cannot be diagnosed while alive, so most families only find out after autopsy—and by then, the neurological and emotional toll on their lives is already etched in memory, behavior, or loss.

Case Study: A Real Young Athlete With Confirmed CTE

Shane Tamura – A High School Football Hopeful Turned Tragedy

• Age: 27

• Level: High school football (California)

• Status: Believed he had CTE, played running back

• Later life: Suffered migraines, mental illness, multiple concussions

• Outcome: Killed four people and himself in a high-profile incident; brain exam showed low-stage CTE posthumously. 

Tamura’s story is heartbreaking and unsettling—not because it’s typical, but because it shows:

• Even non-professional play can leave a mark on the brain

• The psychological fallout of CTE can coincide with severe mental illness

• Lifetime impacts extend far beyond the playing field

His suicide note explicitly asked for his brain to be studied and blamed football and the NFL culture for his condition—a testament to the personal devastation head trauma can cause.

Profiles: Young Players & Early Exposure Tragedies

Wyatt Bramwell — High School Star with Dreams Cut Short

Wyatt was a four-year varsity player in Missouri with eyes set on college football success.

• Position: Wide receiver

• High school: Pleasant Hill High School

• Career: Earned varsity starter status

• Outcome: Despite precautions (choosing a less contact-heavy position), Wyatt’s brain was still later found positive for CTE—a harsh illustration that no position is truly safe.

His story reflects what larger studies show: technical adjustments or avoiding “big hits” doesn’t fully protect from the cumulative effects of repeated collisions, tackles, and jolting impacts.

The Larger Truth: Amateur Athletes, Not Just Pros, Suffer CTE

The JAMA Neurology series showed:

• 21 % of former high school players studied had CTE.

• 91 % of college players studied had CTE.

• Many were symptomatic with cognitive, mood, or behavioral issues long before death—symptoms often dismissed as teen angst, depression, or life stress rather than linked back to brain pathology.

This means CTE doesn’t wait for NFL salaries—it shows up in amateur lives, families, emotions, and futures.

 

Why Their Stories Matter More Than Pro Legends

Sports media and charity narratives focus on legends with Pro Bowls and Hall of Fame plaques. But consider this reality from the science:

• 71 % of young athletes with CTE played only at the amateur level — youth, high school, or college.

• CTE pathology emerged despite shorter careers and far fewer exposures compared with pros.

• Every tackle, blitz, and collision in formative years contributes to cumulative neurological damage.

These aren’t names on highlight reels—they are lives, dreams, and futures decimated before proper protections were in place.

The Issue: We Ignore Them Because They Signed No Contracts

No NFL contract means:

• No massive settlement

• No high-profile lawsuit

• No billion-dollar medical funds

• Far less media attention

But they are statistically at risk just like NFL veterans. Many will never be diagnosed while alive. Their families will never see justice, only unanswered questions about:

• Sudden mood changes

• Identity loss

• Early cognitive impairment

• Depression and behavioral shifts

The silence around these cases only deepens the tragedy.

Unapologetic Analysis

It’s easy for the media to spotlight a former pro’s struggle because it sounds dramatic. But when hundreds of young athletes show CTE before 30, that’s not an anomaly—that’s a public health crisis.

And it’s not limited to elite talent. It’s:

• High-school tacklers

• College starters

• Weekend league warriors

All exposed repeatedly before their brains fully matured.

Provocative Opinion

If the evidence shows that CTE begins early and long before the NFL, then our cultural defenses of youth tackle football are indefensible.

By cheering hits and celebrating toughness without understanding consequences, we have:

• Sacrificed young brains for entertainment

• Dismissed struggling youth as “emotional issues”

• Allowed a system that profits from trauma

Professional players might get money. Amateur players get silence.

Call to Action

Parents, lawmakers, educators, and coaches:

• Stop normalizing hits to the brain

• Take young athlete brain health seriously

• Support research, care, and policy that protects kids, not just stars

• Demand transparency from youth leagues

• Invest in brain monitoring, not just helmets

Because these young players—Wyatt, Shane, and the 47 others in scientific studies—deserve more than anonymity and forgotten pain.