As a distinguished neurologist, Dr. Smith immediately requested to examine the still-preserved brain of the deceased player. And that’s when, his fear came true. The young player’s brain carried the telltale sign of the plaques seen in his previous patients. He decided to report his finding to the scientific world. He proposed that the heavy hits to their heads the rugby players absorb throughout their careers somehow might be causing these plaques to be formed. He further theorized that their later-life neurological problems might be emanating from the production and subsequent detrimental action of these plaques. However he couldn’t decipher the operative biological mechanism. The scientific world took notice terming this new condition as chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
The sport of rugby has been a million-dollar industry in the country. Thus, the operatives of this millionaires-entertainment complex remained skeptical. However, Dr. Smith began collaborating with fellow scientists, collecting more data. The team reported that that out of autopsied brains of 111 deceased ex-professional rugby players, 110 displayed CTE.
In the meantime, the sports world was rocked by the conviction of a talented young rugby player in a murder case. While appealing the verdict from prison, he would suddenly commit suicide. Subsequent autopsy would reveal that his deceased brain had been bathed in CTE-plaques, the extent of which was previously unseen at such a younger age. While the researches have been rushing to understand in details and find a cure for the phenomenon, the country’s legal profession has begun debating the issue of whether CTE could have been blamed for the criminal behavior of the deceased young player. However, the ethical and moral issues remain unresolved. Can a society afford to engage in encouraging its future generations to take part in a sport that might one day make them vulnerable to a degenerative mental condition to the point of taking their own lives?