Shocking find in Manly Sea Eagles rookie Keith Titmuss’ brain
September 23, 2024
The death of Manly Sea Eagles rookie Keith Titmuss in 2020 has taken a terrifying turn after it was revealed he had evidence of stage two CTE.
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a degenerative brain disorder which develops due to repeated head impacts. The disease can only be diagnosed after death.
The death of 20-year-old Titmuss during pre-season training for the Manly Sea Eagles in late 2020 shocked the rugby league world.
Titmuss lost consciousness after during an over two hour training session suffering heat stroke and ultimately suffering cardiac arrest after being rushed to hospital.
But Titmuss’ brain has been studied by Dr Michael Buckland at the Australian Sports Brain Bank, revealing to The Weekend Australian that Titmuss, who is the youngest Australian athlete to be diagnosed with the condition, has signs of stage two CTE.
These are tissue samples – a healthy brain on the left, the right Keith’s with brown CTE lesions. Photo: Channel 9
Stage two CTE can present with mild headaches and difficulty in concentration, as well as depression, short term memory loss and explosive mood swings.
Dr Buckland told The Australian the findings should be a “wake-up call” for parents and should lead to sporting organisations improving their concussion protocols and reducing contact in training.
