(Twitter/WordLinkSports)
Kosta Karageorge, the Ohio State football player and former wrestler found dead Sunday of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, had suffered from concussions and had texted his mother the day he went missing to say he was sorry if he had become an “embarrassment” because of the concussions.
Karageorge, a senior defensive tackle who joined the team this year as a walk-on, hadn’t been seen since leaving his apartment early Wednesday morning. His body was found Sunday in a dumpster blocks away from his Columbus apartment, with a gun police believe he used to kill himself nearby.
His death is sure to spark conversations about the continuing struggle football teams and leagues are facing with the often dire consequences of head injuries.
Karageorge texted his mother the day he went missing and told her his head was messed up because he had suffered from concussions.
Karageorge’s mother, Susan Karageorge, had told NBC affiliate WCMH that her son suffers from concussions, and that he had sent her a text shortly before he went missing in which he apologized for being an “embarrassment” as a result of the medical condition.
Ohio State’s team physician, Dr. Jim Borchers, told the Associated Press Friday that the staff was “confident in our medical procedures and policies to return athletes to participation following injury or illness.”
Borchers would not comment specifically on Karageorge, the AP reported.
News of Karageorge’s death comes a day after the Buckeyes beat archrival Michigan in their regular season finale and a week before they’re set to play Wisconsin in the Big 10 Championship game.
Karageorge, who walked on to the team this year, was one of the seniors honored before the Michigan game.
Ohio State, ranked sixth in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, is likely to move up in the rankings after Mississippi State’s loss and could earn a berth despite a season-ending injury suffered Saturday by quarterback JT Barrett.