While you don’t normally associate BMX riders like Dave Mirra suffering constant head injuries, watch enough of the sport and you’ll see the riders take some horrific falls. And that’s why officials working on the case believe it’s possible that Dave Mirra might have had CTE.
The legendary BMX rider died on Thursday after being found in his truck with a gunshot wound, just hours after posting a heartfelt message to his Instagram account.
Now TMZ reports those close to the situation believe CTE – a brain injury often suffered by football players – may have been the attributing factor to the death of Dave Mirra.
Mayor Allen Thomas says officials are still gathering the facts surrounding Mirra’s death — but says he fears he may have had CTE from head trauma he suffered during his extreme sports days.
Thomas even invoked the name of ex-NFL star Junior Seau — who took his own life in 2012 … and was later found to have the brain condition.
Police chief Mark Holtzman says investigators have spoken with a group of Mirra’s friends — who Mirra was with minutes before the suicide — and they said Dave didn’t appear suicidal.
However, he had been showing signs of depression in the past, Holtzman says.
