On July 28, 2025, a young man named Shane Tamura walked into a Midtown Manhattan office tower armed with an assault rifle. By the time his rampage ended, four innocent people were tragically killed, and Tamura had taken his own life. His apparent target: the NFL headquarters, located in the same building complex[1].
In a suicide note, Tamura claimed he was suffering from CTE—chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a progressive brain disease linked to repetitive head trauma. He blamed the NFL for hiding the risks and asked that his brain be studied after death.[2]
We do not know whether Shane Tamura actually had CTE. That determination can only be made postmortem by trained neuropathologists. What we do know is that he clearly believed he did, and that belief appeared to have shaped his actions.
Tamura was not one of our clients. He never played professional football. His actions were horrific and inexcusable. We represent nearly 1,000 retired NFL players who are living with the consequences of the league’s legacy of concealment. And based on what we’ve seen in those cases, Tamura’s belief that football caused his suffering is tragically familiar.
CTE Doesn’t Start in the Pros
Tamura played high school football in Southern California[3]. He wasn’t a pro. His high school career was before the historic 2015 NFL settlement, which brought light to the risks of impact playing football. But the science is clear: CTE doesn’t require a professional career to take hold.
According to the Boston University CTE Center, CTE was found in:
- 21% of former high school players,
- 91% of college players, and
- 99% of former NFL players whose brains were studied postmortem.[4]
Though these samples are biased (often donated due to concern over symptoms), they show that subconcussive hits—even without full-blown concussions—can cause long-term damage.
Tamura played the game the way the NFL rewards playing: hard, fast, and without hesitation. But no one told him what the cost might be.
A $1 Billion Settlement That Left Players Behind
In 2015, after mounting legal pressure, the NFL agreed to a $1 billion settlement with over 4,500 former players who alleged the league deliberately concealed the risks of brain trauma.[5]
That settlement was historic—but deeply flawed:
- The NFL admitted no wrongdoing.
- CTE claims were only compensable if diagnosed before April 22, 2015.
- The deal prioritized dementia and ALS diagnoses, largely ignoring behavioral and mood disorders—despite growing evidence that these are hallmarks of CTE.
- And the settlement excluded anyone who never played in the NFL.
The result? Millions of men who played football under the same dangerous conditions got no testing, no care, no accountability.
Was It Mental Illness or CTE?
CTE can mimic or overlap with primary psychiatric disorders. We’ve represented many men who experienced paranoia, rage, and suicidality—only to be diagnosed postmortem with CTE.
Even if Tamura’s autopsy doesn’t confirm the disease, his belief that football destroyed his mind shaped his actions. That belief—shared by so many of our clients—is a symptom of how little support exists for players outside the spotlight. It is yet to be determined if Tamura had CTE, only an autopsy will prove that. We have heard echoed from client after client a desperation and anger over a destroyed mind.
The NFL’s Influence Reaches Further Than It Admits
The NFL likes to claim it’s only responsible for the players on its rosters. But that’s not how cultural liability works.
- The league influences how youth and high school football is played.
- It glorifies violence and “toughness” as core values.
- It suppressed research linking concussions to long-term damage.[6]
Shane Tamura was raised on NFL football. He played by its unwritten rules. He died believing its silence had cost him his sanity. Whether or not football was responsible for his symptoms, the cultural impact the NFL has created left him unprepared and unsupported.
A Tragedy That Deserves Honest Reflection
I’ve seen this story before. We’ve represented men who spiraled without answers, who lashed out or broke down, who lost jobs, marriages, and ultimately their lives—all while wondering if the sport they loved had betrayed them.
This tragic moment is important because it again shines a light on an illness that has largely focused only on professional football, leaving out thousands who play in high school and at the collegiate level. The settlement, while substantial, is a way to try to end NFL liability in the CTE discussion. The settlement does not protect any players who played after 2015. Additionally, while there is more awareness and precaution taken for clear head impact during the game, the risk and results for athletes are not markedly different.
Tamura claimed and believed his brain was beyond repair—and that no one, especially the league he grew up watching, cared.
The NFL may not have known his name. But it helped write his story.
[1] https://apnews.com/article/d32bec88dfe208af1a413cec02034a14
[2] https://www.businessinsider.com/cte-brain-disease-nyc-shooting-2025-7
[3] https://www.sfgate.com/la/article/nyc-gunman-cte-california-football-20791756.php
[5] https://www.nflconcussionsettlement.com
[6] https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/league-of-denial/
