A spate of suicides and diagnosed cases of dementia involving retired N.F.L. players has prompted research to determine whether there is a correlation between constant blows to the head, which are endemic to football, and a degenerative brain disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
Testing of brain samples drawn from deceased former players by the Boston University Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy has found that 33 from the N.F.L., along with 17 who competed at other levels, suffered from C.T.E.
With [Ryan] Freel, the center enters the realm of baseball, a sport not usually associated with head trauma. His parents approved the donation of tissue to search for evidence of C.T.E., which might partly explain his decline as a consequence of the injuries….
Based on the recollections of the player’s mother and Ryan Freel’s own statements, his stepfather, Clark Vargas, estimated that Freel may have sustained 15 concussions, 10 as a professional ballplayer…
Freel’s former wife said she found no fault with his teams or their medical staffs, concluding that they diagnosed his condition properly and insisted that he abide by the stipulated recovery period…
Freel had consulted with doctors and had had examinations, mostly psychological, according to his former wife, and even became aware of the C.T.E. studies. “He sought answers to his problems,” she said.
Yet he did so reluctantly, according to his mother. She indicated he would not always heed her advice to seek help from doctors or counselors and was especially reluctant to carry through with follow-up appointments…
Freel’s mother dropped by his home on the Friday before Christmas and, noticing that he was not feeling well, urged him to visit a counselor. He agreed to do so the next Monday, she said. His body was discovered the next day…
Christie Moore Freel acknowledged that the head injuries might not fully explain why her former husband took his life. “Ryan had a lot of battles, fought a lot of demons,” she said.
He was arrested at least once for drunken driving and on another occasion for disorderly intoxication.
