Dr. Bennet Omalu, the physician credited with discovering CTE, is breaking down claims made by the mass shooter in NYC … after the killer claimed he had the neurodegenerative disease after playing high school football.
“You can develop CTE from playing football at all levels. The greater the number of years you play, the greater the cumulative risk exposure. CTE has been diagnosed in people who played football at all levels. However, playing high-school football does not automatically equate to CTE,” Dr. Omalu told TMZ Sports on Tuesday.
For those unfamiliar with the name, Omalu was at the forefront of bringing CTE to the public’s awareness, a movement that even made its way to Hollywood. Will Smith played the forensic pathologist in the film “Concussion.”
According to New York City mayor Eric Adams, shooter Shane Tamura targeted the National Football League’s midtown Manhattan headquarters Monday evening … all because he claimed football permanently injured his brain.
The 27-year-old never played ball professionally … but was by multiple accounts a solid player in high school.
According to the Mayo Clinic, Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a “brain disease likely caused by repeated head injuries. It causes the death of nerve cells in the brain, known as degeneration. CTE gets worse over time.”
Omalu pointed out the shooter’s claim is merely an assumption and is by no means an excuse for his heinous crime.
“The big question is ‘how did the shooter know that he was suffering from CTE?’ Was that an assumption? CTE is not an excuse or justification whatsoever to become violent or kill anyone. I denounce and condemn that in the strongest terms possible.”
Dr. Omalu also sent a message to “anyone who thinks he is suffering from CTE,” advising they “seek professional medical help and guidance for treatment and long-term clinical management.”
