A Look into CTE After the Passing of Former Charger Billy Ray Smith

This episode sponsored by She's Birdie. You know that little wave of relief when someone texts made it home safe? That's exactly the feeling she's Birdie was designed for. The Birdie Disc is a clip-on personal safety light and alarm made for everyday moments where visibility and attention matter most. Nightwalks, early morning runs, parking garages, college campuses, dog walks, travel. It features bright flashing LED light modes, a built-in flashlight, and a 130 decibel siren that can quickly draw attention if something feels wrong. And because it's lightweight, rechargeable, TSA-friendly, and easy to clip onto jackets, bags, strollers, bikes, or keychains, it actually fits into real life without being bulky or complicated. More than 4 million people already trust She's Birdie for added peace of mind. For the people you care most about, daughter, partner, friend, student, or a parent, this is one of those simple things that can make a real difference. Go to she's birdie.com. Again, that's she's birdie.com. Since news broke about the passing of former San Diego Charger, Billy Ray Smith, there have been questions about his cause of death, which the family says was from complications from dementia. And they claim it was caused by CTE. Dr. Bennett-O-Maloo, forensic pathologist, joins us now on the Kogo News Liveline. Good morning. Good morning. How are you? Thank you so much for having me. Well, you have looked at trauma with football players for a long time. Can you explain how this brain trauma impacts athletes and how that disease actually develops? Well, I must emphasize this is not just about football players. It involves all types of human activities whereby the head is exposed to blunt force impact, blunt force trauma. So when your head is exposed to repeated blunt first trauma like blows to the head, wheat or without a helmet, it causes brain damage over time. The human brain is at 60 to 80% water. It does not have any reasonable capacity to regenerate itself. And it floats freely inside this call. It's not attached to this call. So whenever you have an impact with or without a helmet on your head, your brain bounces around inside your skull. And over time, there is irreversible brain damage. And it increases your risk of suffering all types of dementias, including CTE, all types of strokes, and also the so-called early onset dementia before the age of 60.

I used to love roller coasters, and now I can't stand them. Yes. Because it bangs my head around, and I'm wondering if that could even be a cause of CTE. Yes, roller coasters, boxing, wrestling, mixed martial arts, rugby, Australian football, any activity whereby the head is part of the game. We don't have any cure for it. And that is why my position has always been that children should not play. Many people don't like me for saying yet. But knowing what we know today, there is no reasonable justification for any child younger than the age of 18 to engage in high impact contact football. Yeah. You know, I used to think that watching my nephew play. football that not only was he being beaten to smithereens during, you know, the games and practices, also the heat that they're playing in. Oh, sure. A lot of things going on. We're talking to forensic pathologist, Dr. Bennett, Omelieu. Now, let's talk a little bit about the player that we just lost. Former San Diego Charger Billy Ray Smith. He was one of the first players to pledge his brain to the Concussion and CTA Foundation. What are they going to look for? It's always good to carry out research so that you advance science. They want to establish the biology of the disease. And I am aware some other groups are also looking at possible treatment to slow down the degeneration of the brain. So when they examine the brain, just like Junior Cell, if you remember, I came down to San Diego to actually assist in the autopsy of Junior Cell. They will look to stage the disease to better understand the disease. Because even as we speak today, there is no cure for Alzheimer's disease. There is no cure for strokes. There is no cure for Parkinson's disease. So we are working so hard doctors all over the world to advance the frontiers of science. And if possible, with the assistance of artificial intelligence, finally develop a cure for these terrible disease. Wow. But as we speak today, the best cure is prevention. Do not engage in activities whereby there is repeated exposures to impacts to the head. Parents who smack their kids on the head need to stop that. I'm aware people who during sexual activity hit each other on their heads, they need to stop that. There is this new game called slaps or whatever where people intentionally slap themselves on the head. They need to stop that. Games like mixed martial arts, there is no reason why children should engage in such violent, high-impact sports boxing. There is no reason why a child under the age of 18 should engage in boxing. It just does not make sense, knowing what we know today. Wow. Doctor, thank you so much for joining us on San Diego's Morning News.

Thank you so much. Bless you guys. Bless you, too. Dr. Bennett Omalu is a forensic pathologist and neuropathologist who was the first to discover and publish findings on chronic traumatic encephalopathy in football players.