Brother says Rashaan Salaam had CTE symptoms
BOULDER, Colo. — The brother of Heisman Trophy winner Rashaan Salaam told USA TODAY Sports on Sunday that Salaam had “all the symptoms” associated with chronic football head trauma before he committed suicide last week, including memory loss and depression.
Jabali Alaji, Salaam’s brother, also said he spoke to his brother about an hour before his death but that Salaam didn’t indicate what he was about to do.
“It was a very positive conversation,” said Alaji, who lives in the Atlanta area. “We made plans for the future.”
Salaam, the legendary former University of Colorado running back, was found dead at a local park here on the night of Dec. 5. His mother, Khalada, told USA TODAY Sports the next day that Boulder police said they suspect it was a suicide and that a note was found.
Rashaan Salaam, former Heisman winner and NFL first rounder, found dead in park
Boulder police said the cause of death was under investigation.
“We don’t know all the details yet on that,” said Alaji who said he planned to meet with police.
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is the disease associated with concussions and can only be diagnosed after death under current science. Alaji indicated that Salaam’s brain was not donated for evaluation of CTE because of their Muslim faith and burial rituals, which call for burial within days after death and forbid desecration of the body.
If Salaam’s brain were examined, Alaji said, “I would guarantee they’d find it. I would guarantee it.”
Salaam, 42, who won the Heisman in 1994, was buried here Friday, surrounded by family, friends and former teammates who remembered Salaam for his generous spirit, humility and a beaming smile that boosted moods and broke tension.
Over the weekend, those former teammates and family helped clear out Salaam’s home and took some more time to remember all the good he did for CU and local youth. They said they hoped to carry on his legacy by helping children and also possibly suicide prevention.
“Rashaan did a lot for a lot of people,” former CU teammate T.J. Cunningham told USA TODAY Sports on Sunday.
Rashaan Salaam remembered at funeral: 'He was just a great teammate'
At the same time, they said Salaam had become adept at hiding his pain. Alaji said Salaam even played with a fractured elbow but kept it secret during his NFL rookie season with the Chicago Bears in 1995. He said Salaam had about 14 surgeries.
“He was banged up,” Alaji said. “He was a running back. Who gets hit more on the field than a running back?”
Salaam played at CU from 1992-94 before turning pro after his junior year, when he became the fourth player in major college football history to rush for 2,000 yards in one season. He was a big, slashing runner for CU, which finished the 1994 season ranked No. 3 in the nation with an 11-1 record.
“He wasn’t a running back who was going to slide” to avoid contact with opponents, former CU teammate Shannon Clavelle told USA TODAY Sports Sunday. “This isn’t baseball.”
Football culture also demands playing with pain and not showing weakness. And that partly may have been why Salaam hid his recent suffering. For young men, it’s also part of the general culture.
As an example, Alaji said Sunday he still hadn’t cried about his brother’s death.
“My job is make sure I don’t break down in front of my mom so I haven’t cried once,” he said.
Alaji said he read the symptoms of CTE, which include anxiety, depression, apathy and memory loss.
“He had all those symptoms,” he said. He also said they found no evidence of substance abuse in his home.
“When I opened the house, I expected to go into a house of somebody who was on drugs or find alcohol in the trash can,” Alaji said. “But when I walked into the house and saw how clean the house was, it shocked me. I went through his trash can. I went through hiding spaces expecting to find pill bottles, or bottles of liquor. None of that was there. He didn’t even take Motrin, you know what I mean?”
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer on Twitter @Schrotenboer. E-mail: bschrotenb@usatoday.com
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