cte can only be detected after death by examining the brain under a microscope.brains have football players have been diagnosed with cte. 35 of them, nfl players, and six of them, high school athletes. the seaus say they just want today's players to make an informed decision, to know the risk for even the toughest in the league. what should the nfl be doing? >> i think the nfl has to take a bigger role in making sure that people are aware of what the side effects could be. >> if you're going to play the sport and you love the game, be aware, and be careful and know the signs and symptoms. be extremely aware of what could potentially happen to your life. >> reporter: there's a big risk. >> there's a huge risk. >> reporter: the man with a thousand hits may now change the game he loved in ways he never dreamed of. for "nightline," i'm jim avila in san diego. >> a huge challenge for the game of football. thanks to jim avila for that important report. >>> next up, hollywood. the agony and the outrage of the oscar snub. we bring you a look at this year's academy reject

depression is a symptom of cte. do you think there is a correlation between cte and suicide? difficult to say at this stage of the game. you can never really correlate a disease with a specific act like that. certainly there is some logic to you're depressed you have impulse control problems. but in a lot of the cases what you really saw was their life fall apart. the disease affected

depression is a symptom of cte. do you think there is a correlation between cte and suicide?it's really difficult to say at this stage of the game. you can never really correlate a se

chronic blows to the head, including concussions, can cause cte. the symptoms include dementia, mood swings and depression severe enough to leave to suicide. >> the combination of depression and lack of impulse control probably contributes to the suicide that we see in this group of individuals. >> reporter: researchers at have documented 50 football players stricken by cte, 35 of them nfl players, six high school players. >> cte is not being seen in individuals without repetitive head injury in our experience, >> reporter: today's revelation about the toughest among them has some in the nfl questioning their own health. >> the times i do forget things, the sleepness nights you may have, you start to wonder, are you down that path towards cte? >> reporter: the seau family noticed his sudden changes in personality in the last years of his life. from outgoing hard-charging family leader to withdrawn loner who ended it all by shooting himself in the chest, leaving this three-word message on a text to his four children and ex-wife. and what did he say?

chronic blows to the head, including concussions, can cause cte.ms include dementia, mood swings and depression severe enough to lead to suicide. >> the combination of depression and lack of impulse control probably contributes to the suicide we see. >> reporter: researchers have documented 50 football players stricken by cte, 35 nfl players, 6 high school players. >> cte is not being seen in individuals without repetitive head injury. >> reporter: this revelation has summoned the nfl, questioning their own health. >> at times i do forget things, the sleepless nights you may have, you start to wonder are you down that path towards cte? >> reporter: the seau family noticed his change in personality in the last years of his life. from outgoing, hard charging family leader, to withdrawn loner who ended it all by shooting himself in the chest, leaving this three word on a text to his children and ex-wife. what did he say? >> just three words, i love you. >> that was the last we heard. >> reporter: none of his children play football anymore. and that's

cte is a dangerous disease affecting nfl players.very year players get bigger, they get faster, they hit harder and their equipment, their technology and equipment is hard to keep pace with the game. the nfl needs to take meaningful action to prevent cte in its players. junior seau had a terrific career and will go down as one of the greatest linebackers of all time. it's important we learn from his death to prevent further tragedies in the future. tonight in our survey i asked you, would you send your kids to school with armed teachers? 12% of you say yes. 88% of you say no. coming up, the oscar nominations are out, and controversy is abound. film critic david edelstein joins me. stay with us. [ female announcer ] going to sleep may be easy, but when you wake up in the middle of the night it can be frustrating. it's hard to turn off and go back to sleep. intermezzo is the first and only prescription sleep aid approved for use as needed in the middle of the night when you can't get back to sleep. it's an effective sleep medicine you

i don't think i have cte. have any of the symptoms of it. >> well, that's just the point, right? it's essentially scarring. it's as if you were a carpenter. and if you played football, you might have this in your brain. however, the fact is that the vast majority of football players like you go on to lead satisfying and productive lives long after they've left the gridiron. in fact, the suicide rate among football players is actually less than it is among the general population. many physicians and researchers have emphasized to me that there's actually a real danger in making a definitive conclusion -- connection between the presence of cte in brains of people like junior seau. >> but there is research, growing research that suggests a cause and effect between the concussion and the, you know, the brain, the head contact and the cte. and let me ask you this. let's look at this from the nfl's side. there's a big lawsuit against the nfl, 1,000 players are involved in this now? whatever the number is. what's goi

the brown, spotted brain, a cte-impacted brain.than 30 former professional players have been diagnosed with cte. but dr. russell lonzer who oversaw seau's examination says we still don't know how big the risk is. >> we need to understand better the incidents prevalence. we need to develop diagnostic tools to diagnose it, potentially, before someone passes away. we need to better understand the etiology of it so we can better manage this disorder in the future. >> but keep in mind, we hardly even talked about cte just a few years ago. there are mysterious components of it that we're going to stay on top of. >>> up next, how to avoid diet pitfalls with real science. coming back with dr. robert lustig right after this. >>> over the last few months, you've probably heard me talk a lot about the importance of limiting sugar in your diet. and a lot of that knowledge is based upon the work of dr. robert lustig. he's the author of this new book called "fat chance." you and i have talked about this before and you're not talking about just a

russell lonzer oversaw the study. >> individuals that have been found to have cte in the past, in some cases, have exhibited behaviors such as impulsivity, irritability, aggression, memory loss, and suicidal thoughts. >> reporter: seau is the fifth former nfl player to commit suicide who was later found to have cte. more than 4,000 players have filed suit against the nfl for brain-related injuries. the nfl has changed rules to discourage blows to the head. it has given a $30 million research grant to the national institutes of health to study medical conditions prominent in athletes.y >> we need to better understand this.nditio we need to have better awareness, better diagnostic capabilities. we need to find ways to assess this before someone passes away, or diagnose it. >> reporter: seau's familyay released a statement saying thatd they were deeply saddened that he suffered from such a debilitating condition. and scott, the nfl said the findings underscore the need forfi additional research to better understand cte. >> pelley: seth, thank you. there was another school shooting today--

>> i think everybody sort of expected to see cte in junior seau. i think we sort of know that story, when somebody's played in the nfl for a long time, they're going to have cte. the thing is, they're not all committing suicide. in fact, nfl players commit suicide at a lower rate than their age-matched piers. so it's not just taking hits to the head, and it can't be just concussions. there's a lot that's still unknown here. >> a very interesting point. that the suicide rate is less than general population. i wasn't aware of that. it's a key point, paul callan, when it comes to the question, which is, is this going to be a c-change moment. a tipping point moment for the nfl, where the rules change. >> i think it may be a tipping point moment. here you have a beloved player, 20 years in the nfl, committing suicide. and you see now claims that large numbers of nfl players have brain injuries, serious brain injuries. you know, people thought you could never prevail against the tobacco companies. i mean, people voluntarily smoke. and those cases, by the

. >> individuals that have been found to have cte in the past in some cases have exhibited behaviors such as impulsivity, irritability aggression memory loss, and suicidal thoughts. >> seau is the fifth former nfl player to commit suicide who was later found to have cte. >>> in baseball a change in the drug testing griemtd between the managers and the players' association. beginning next season, players will be tested for human growth hormones throughout the regular season. last year players were tested for hgh during spring training. >> to the nba now. some last-minute heroics sunk the heat in miami. lebron james snapped his 54 streak of 24 games. fourth quarter, under a minute to go. a three-pointer to put the trail blazers ahead. portland held on to beat miami. 92-90 is the final. >>> and an upsetting college hoops. singler scored 14 points. it was arizona's first loss of the season. the ducks now winners of 17 straight home games including 11 this season. oregon beat arizona, 70-66. >>> when we come back, sleep drug dangers. important new recommendations for women who use the pop

number one, did violent concussions cause seau's cte and did cte cause seau to kill himself or was it something else? >> very difficult to prove. very good point. this could go on for years. the medical testimony will have to prove a direct cause, a relationship to junior seau's death a self-inflicted wound and the nfl having some culpability. that will be difficult. they will also look at causation. >> there is one other thing. we are talking suicide here. that is a voluntary act. it's a choice. to claim that someone or something, the nfl in this case is to blame for causing it, that has always been legally problematic in cases hasn't it? >> here's the thing, it is tough. i will give you that. but there is precedent for it. three years ago former chicago bears great dave doersome committed suicide in the exact same way took a gun put it to his chest and shot and killed himself. cte there are studies does cause suicidal tendencies. >> -- (talking over one another) >> the people who cause suicide are the victims themselves. >> you know what the defense team will do they will look at al

he, too, had cte.sion with rg3's latest injury, there was much less attention when he went down with concussion earlier in the season. and while his ligaments have now been surgically reconstructed, it's not his knee we s

cte in its most severe cases has memory problem, depression and anger.not the protein is present, but whether it's present in the parts of the brain responsible to though emotions. the lead researcher said he found it in all five players in the study, ta thauchlt until u be seen after death. >> what pathologists have seen is little tau deposits. >> reporter: small is cautiously optimistic that this brain scan will eventually diagnose cte in living people. >> it's a step forward, but it's a baby step. because it's not specific to tau. >> reporter: robert stern, a cte expert at the boston university school of medicine, is a bit more skeptical. he says small's brain scan doesn't just measure tau, it measures another protein called am ma amel oichlt chlt dichlt which is present in all timer's disease. >> we don't know if its he tau or both. >> reporter: could the players be suffering from cte, always timer's or did other disease? so as you can see, the study is far from conclusive. but if it does pan out, if could give us a better idea of what cte looks like

he, too, had cte. interestingly, given the obsession with rg3's latest injury, there was much less attention when he went down with concussion earlier in the season. and while his ligaments have now been surgically reconstructed, it's not his knee we should be worried about. it's his head. thanks so much for watching. chris matthews and "hardball" is next. >>> hi nogh noon on gun control. let's play "hardball." ♪ >>> good evening. i'm chris matthews in washington. tonight let me start with this. new school shooting in the town of taft, california, that's left a 16-year-old in critical condition. well, the national rifle association meeting with vice president biden's task force late today decried what it called proposed restrictions on lawful firearms owners, honest tax paying, hard working americans. well, the question for america tonight, what does paying taxes and working hard and even being honest have to do with this country's failure to keep fast firing, high capacity guns from the hands of the m

the three things are what mark cte and people and family members and friends describe when someone isit is to talk about, he shot himself in the chest. dave duerson said he wanted his brain study and people surmised that might have been the same with junior seau. >> i see this brain and want to talk about what this is when and what they found. drew, to you, you are involved in one of these cases. why sue the nfl? >> there seems to be a body of work available. in 2002, the relationship between cte and the death of mike webster was brought forth by an independent physician. from 2002 to 2007 they did a study with physicians advising the nfl and they were dismissive of that study, referring it very unnice terms what they thought of the science involved. because of that dismissiveness and the fact that the nfl has been flourishing during this period of time, this lawsuit is brought on behalf of player who is say we success fiz ourselves physically for you and we need to be compensated like another workforce where there is a disease attributed to the workplace. >> the nfl is a profitable e

thoughts. >> saeu is the fifth former l player to have committed suicide to have found to have had cte. >>> in playoffs, beginning next season, players will be tested for human growth hormones throughout the regular season. last year players were tested for hgh during spring training. >> to the nba now. some last-minute heroics sunk the heat in miami. lebron james snapped his 54 streak. fourth quarter, under a minute to go. a three-pointer to put the trail blazers ahead. portland held on to beat miami. 92-90 is the final. >>> and an upsetting college hoops. it was arizona's first loss of the season. the ducks now winners of 178 straight home games including this season. oregon beat arizona, 70-66. >>> when we come back, sleep drug dangers. important recommendations for women who use the popular sleeping pill ambien. i have never encountered such a burning sensation... until i had the shingles. it was like a red rash. like somebody had set a bag of hot charcoal on my neck. i had no idea it came from chickenpox. it's something you never want to encounter. for more of the inside story, vi

cte is caused by mild, repetitive trauma to the brain. it's been associated with the symptoms ranging from mood swings to insomnia, depression, and even dementia. autopsies revealed similar brain damage to two former nfl players who committed suicide. >>> the nfl is currently facing a lawsuit from more than 2,000 former placer who withheld information about head traumas. >>> the heat taking on the trail blazer in portland. dwyane wade goes long. wasn't exactly a signature dunk by lebron, but we'll take it. that's heat up by 12. blazers come all the way back. matthews, the three. that puts them up by one. the final seconds, is it wade? is it going to be lebron? no, chalmers with the final shot. almost made it. not exactly probably how they drew it up. the blazers win 92-90, snapping lebron's streak of 54 straight games with at least 20 points. it appears the heat may have caught something from the lakers. the heat have lost five of their last eight. >>> on the college court now. van bderbilt taking on kentucky. the vanderbilt coach thinks

he suffered from cte. it's associated from repeated blows to the head. he shot and killed himself last may. he's one of three former nfl players found to have cte after committing suicide. >>> nhl players are beginning to vote on whether to approve a new collective bargaining agreement. the vote is electronic and will continue through saturday at 8:00 a.m. the board of governors unanimously approved the deal yesterday. if a majority of the 700 players eligible to vote approve the agreement, training camp will start this sunday with a shortened 48-game season set to start on the 19th. >>> a south carolina school board is deciding whether to fire a high school english teacher for going too far after he stomped on an american flag in front of his students. attorneys say the teacher was trying to spur discussion in class and wanted to use a symbol which students were familiar. they want to fire the teacher. for now he's on paid leave. >>> 4:48 now. after almost 20 years an indiana boy abducted by his grandparents has been found. in 1994 richard landers jr. w

multiple concussions or multiple brain injuries, you can develop chronic traumatic encephalopathy or cte and it becomes a degenerative process that over type can look very much like alzheimer's and have other symptoms besides just the cognitive problems or the dementia and it can cause depression and other such symptoms. >> i guess it makes sense that these injuries came from playing football, but i wonder about other very violent sports like boxing. you don't hear about -- at least you haven't over the last, i guess, 10, 20, 30 years boxers kind of suffering from have, have you or are we just out of the loop here? >> we certainly used to. muhammad ali i think is a perfect example. we used to call it something else, dementia pugilistic, but in essence it was the repeat active head injury, the same pathologic process, and one of the reasons we don't see it in boxing like we used to is because they've changed the rules and regulations of the game to prevent the repetitive head contact as we are unfortunately continuing to see in football. >> how should the nfl move forward when it comes to

i've seen evidence of this cte myself in someone as young as 17 years old. early on in life. and what you're seeing there, wolf, that blow and the sort of swelling and sometimes the inflammation that can occur in the brain, that might be a precursor to cte. but, wolf, your question is a good one. there may be some people who are more genetically pre-disposed to developing this. and we don't know who those people are right now. >> sanjay, thanks very much. and thanks for all the work you've done, all the research you've done on this problem. it's a growing problem. lisa sylvester is monitoring some of the other top stories in "the situation room" right now. >>> another shooting incident and heroics by a teacher? >> yes, we have that story as well as a story about syria. syrian foreign ministry official says the point man for the u.n. is biased and has deviated from his mission. in a recent interview, a u.n. diplomat said the government's political plan to end violence is just more of the same from a family that's been in power too long. meanwhile, the british

cte in it's most severe cases has memory problems, depression, and anger.or not it is present, but if it's in parts of the brain responsible for those emotions. >> dr. gary small says he was surprised to find it in the brains of all five players in the study. until now, it could only be seen by pathologists after death. >> they have been seeing these little deposits, and we could see the same pattern. >> sanjay, if you're a living person who then they find the marker in, what do you do with that information? >> it's a good question, and this is in part our customers medicine moves forward. sometimes the diagnosis comes faster than the treatment, but you learn more about the disease. this is a small study that needs to be reproduced, but if you learn more, you could diagnosis it earlier and treat it earlier. >> are there any possible therapies that are being worked on that could be on the horizon? >> when you talk to guys like gary small, he is an alzheimer researcher, ain't -- anti-inflammatories, slowing down progression, could it also be applied to cte. b

been reported by family members and friends in individuals who have been subsequently found to have cteior seaus a family certainly seemed to believe this did contribute to his suicide. they say he was suffering wild mood swings, irritability, depression, symptoms they believe caused by the brain disease and brought about the suicide. >> shepard: what are we getting from the nfl? >> the nfl issued a statement which says in part, quote, the nfl both directly and in partner ship with ih, centers for disease control and other leading organizations is committed to supporting a wide range of independent medical and scientific research that will both address cte and promote the long-term health and safety of athletes at all levels we have work to do. they went on to say, and we're doing it. >>> the nfl is being sued by the families of other former players, including dave duerson and ray ester ling, both of whom committed suicide after their nfl careers. and the whole question of how well the nfl, teams and coaches, looks after the health of players, brought into sharp vision this weekend afte

cte is believed to cause depression, memory loss and dementia.doctors say his case was likely caused by years of repeated blows to the head. >>> the caps hit the rink at kettler icepreponderate lex again this morning as they get ready for the start of the regular season. they held an informal practice yesterday and in a sign of their true dedication when the lights went out at the facility, they kept on practicing. 19 players were on the ice. nick backstrom is referring from is thought to be a concussion. >> it was frustrating. a roller coaster ride up and down, good news one day, bad news the next. it seemed to keep going on and on like that. i had to shut my brain off a little bit with the lockout. i had not think about it. >> i'm honestly really embarrassed by the lockout, like personally embarrassed. i feel terrible about it. i feel like we just punched our sport in the face. i feel bad for everybody that was affected by it directly or indirectly. i'm sitting there saying how do you just take a sport away and then how do you take it away from

there's official confirm its that junior seau had cte, a degenerative brain disease, he joins pittsburgh'sike webster and dave deerson. bears. >>> tim tebow will not be playing for the jacksonville jaguars next season. he said he can't match nan not being a jacksonville jaguars even if released by the jets. >>> and baltimore plays dense the broncos and green bay will be in san francisco. sunday, seattle visits the top-seeded atlanta falcons and houston been at new england. >>> and in ohio, at the open, k.j. choi hit his tee shot on the green, his ball lands on the ball of webb simpson. that's a shot you don't see every day. >> announcer: "early today" sports is brought to you by new just for men autostop. gray is over. >>> just ahead, justin timberlake and beyonce have big plans to share with everyone. >>> plus, a real-life rescue with just in the nick of time ending. you're watching "early today." >>> good morning. and welcome back. we've got a lot of warm air trying to move into the eastern seaboard. right now, it's already 60 degrees in atlanta and temperatures are going to warm up nice

cte in its most severe cases has memory problems, depression and anger.t whether it's present in parts of the brain that are responsible for those emotions. >> what we're looking at -- >> reporter: dr. gary small, the study's lead researcher, said he was surprised to find tau in the brains of all of the players, tau that until now could only be seen by pathologists. >> what they've been seeing in the brain, little tau deposits. we could see the same pattern. >> reporter: it's a small study. it's very preliminary. you want to make sure this can apply to a larger part of the population, not just retired nfl players. the tau protein is something that they're trying to find. this test is a pretty good test for that. it can be other proteins that they might be finding as well. they have to find out if they can make this more specific as they go forward. >> medically how do you use the information? >> reporter: what you'd like to do is say somebody who may be at risk of developing cte because of football, because of blows to the head in some regard, could you h