Former College Football Player Michael Keck has the 'Worst CTE Seen in a Young Individual': Study

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A remarkable case of a young man who died at the age of 25 was reported in the JAMA Neurology on Monday, Jan. 4, 2016. Former College Football Player Michael Keck was diagnosed of a degenerative brain disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. But, the researchers from the Boston University was surprised of what they found as the most widespread case of CTE in an individual at such a young age, according to NBC News.

"It was the worst CTE I've seen in an individual this young" said study co-author Dr. Ann McKee. "It was quite widespread," said McKee, chief of neuropathology at the Bedford Veterans Administration and a professor of neurology and pathology at the Boston University School of Medicine.

Keck died of a congenital heart defect in 2013 and before his passing, he was able to ask his wife to donate his brain to Boston University in order for the experts to have a look at it for a possible case of CTE. The researchers from the university who are part of the UNITE (Understanding Neurologic Injury Traumatic Encephalopathy) study already had the chance to test Keck before he died but were not sure of their findings on whether he really had CTE back then.

This case of a young man who suffered health problems related to his involvement in a contact sport at an earlier age could very well be another reason that could fuel what has long been a debate regarding the safety and protection among children and teenagers who play football in youth leagues and school teams, according to the American Journal of Managed Care or AJMC.

It has been the bone of contention for years on whether children and teenagers should be allowed to play football at such a young age when their brains and bodies are still developing. Most youth leagues and even the NFL itself has taken some steps in changing the rules of the game, especially, in the tackling methods to protect the players in light of all the discussions regarding the matter.

According to Live Science, Keck started playing football when he was 6 years old and in his 16 years of playing the sport, the researchers found out that he suffered more than 10 concussions.

"This athlete is just one in a series of former contact-sports athletes, including those having played American football, with evidence of CTE at autopsy," said Dr. James M. Noble, a neurologist at Columbia University.

"Several of these former players were even younger—just teenagers at the time pathological findings were identified," added Noble who was not involved in the study.