Hilinski had extensive CTE

The family of Tyler Hilinski, the former Upland High and Washington State quarterback who killed himself in January, said the 21-year-old had extensive brain damage that’s been linked to concussions from playing football.

Hilinski was found dead in his apartment with a gunshot wound and a suicide note on Jan. 16.

Mark and Kym Hilinski told NBC’s “Today” show on Tuesday that the Mayo Clinic did an autopsy of their son’s brain.

The results indicated that he had the brain of a 65-year-old, with signs of extensive brain damage known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, which has been found in hundreds of former NFL players.

The sophomore quarterback dropped a teammate off on campus for morning class the day he died.

Police said the rifle he used belonged to a teammate and that Hilinski took it without the teammate’s knowledge on or before Jan. 12.

“Did football kill Tyler? I don’t think so. Did he get CTE from football? Probably. Was that the only thing that attributed to his death? I don’t know,” Kym Hilinski said.

Tyler’s brother, Ryan Hilinski ,a quarterback at Orange Lutheran, is set to play at South Carolina in 2019 with the support of his parents. He said his brother’s diagnosis scared him, but he’s committed to playing football.