Monday, April 27, 2015

Patrick Risha's Story

The New York Times writes about the sad story of onetime Dartmouth running back Patrick Risha '05, who took his own life last fall. From the story (LINK):
Examinations of the brain of Patrick Risha, 32, at the University of Pittsburgh and Boston University revealed chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or C.T.E., the degenerative disease caused by repeated blows to the head that has been found in the brains of dozens of former football players. C.T.E. has been linked to depression, impulsive actions and short-term memory loss, among other symptoms.
Rita's mother, Karen, has started the Patrick Risha CTE Awareness Foundation, which its website describes as . . .
. . . "a Pennsylvania non-profit volunteer based organization. It was created in Patrick’s memory to help prevent CTE in future athletes and provide a resource for understanding the disease, how it is caused, and its relevance in youth sports." 
Yale has released a well-done highlight video from last fall's overtime win against Army. The best parts are the pregame pageantry and the end ;-)