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.
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.