According to a report, a note left behind by the man accused of shooting and killing three people and one New York City police officer, references a former Steelers player that was diagnosed with CTE.
The New York Post reports 27-year-old Shane Tamura, of Las Vegas, left behind a note referencing Terry Long, an offensive lineman with Pittsburgh from 1984-1991.
Long died in 2005 after drinking a gallon of antifreeze. His death was ruled a suicide and Dr. Bennet Omalu, former Allegheny County neuropathologist, known for discovering chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), said the former guard suffered from the disease caused by numerous blows to the head.
Dr. Omalu was the subject of the 2015 film "Concussion" starring Will Smith.
Long was also dealing with legal issues at the time of his suicide.
“Terry Long – Football gave me CTE and it cause me to drink a gallon of antifreeze,” the not found on Tamura said. “You can’t go against the NFL they’ll squash you.”
Tamura got out of a vehicle on Monday and walked into a Manhattan skyscraper that houses NFL’s headquarters, opening fire inside the building.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday morning that Tamura was targeting the NFL but took the wrong elevator before he took his own life.
“Tamura had a ‘documented mental health history,’ according to Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch,” The Associated Press reports.
Tamura played high school football and believed he may have suffered from CTE and wanted his brain to be studied.