In a lawsuit filed on Wednesday, the brother of Olympic bobsledder Pavle Jovanovic, who committed suicide, claims the Olympics did not do enough to warn and safeguard his brother against traumatic brain injuries.
The case claims that Jovanovic’s years of exposure to vibrations in the bobsled led to brain damage, depression, and eventually his suicide in 2020, at the age of 43.
Jovanovic likely suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), an ailment typically observed in high-impact sports like football players and boxers, according to an autopsy performed shortly after his death.
Contents
The Discovery of CTE in Jovanovic Makes her the First Athlete in a Sliding Sport to have the Condition.
According to the 139-page lawsuit, Jovanovic’s death was caused by CTE because the symptoms were unbearable for him to continue living with.
According to the allegation, “he was competing against an opponent who does not lose.”
Alcoholism became Jovanovic’s coping mechanism for the brain trauma, and the complaint states that she began experiencing Parkinson’s-like symptoms in 2013.
Many people are aware of the case filed against the NFL on behalf of former players who committed themselves after being diagnosed with CTE. Fewer people, however, are aware that former ice hockey players face the same difficulties.
Rypien the “greatest pound-for-pound combatant in the NHL,” despite his small stature (5 feet, 11 inches) and weight (190 pounds). He got a $1.1 million deal in 2009 because of his tough play on the ice despite being significantly shorter than the usual hockey player.
The Cause of Rypien’s Suicide in 2011 was Determined to be Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy.
Try to put yourself in the shoes of former Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey captain Neil Breen as he reads this. He fits a comparable player typology, with similar stats (5’9″ and 190 lbs. in junior hockey) and similar tendencies (a propensity to fight and overwhelming CTE symptoms).
Despite the fact that a definitive diagnosis of CTE cannot be made until after death and brain surgery, Breen meets practically all of the criteria for having the disease.
I get fairly bad anxiety on the daily, pretty uncontrollable,” Breen remarked. “I have a terrible temper… There are times when I don’t feel up to leaving the house. I have this inexplicable feeling of intense anxiety.
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (C.T.E. ), a degenerative brain illness, was detected in the brain of a former Olympic bobsledder who committed suicide last year. This condition has also been found in former football players and other sportsmen who participated in severe contact sports.
Last Words
In May of 2020, Pavle Jovanovic hanged himself in the family metal works shop in central New Jersey. He was 43. He may be the first Olympic athlete in any sliding sport to be diagnosed with C.T.E., and certainly the first bobsledder. Multiple head traumas can lead to this terrible brain disease, which can result in significant brain degeneration, typically occurring at an age much before the general population begins to experience brain disorders like dementia and Parkinson’s disease.
