Kosta Karageorge

Kosta Karageorge (July 10, 1992 – November 30, 2014) was an American football player and collegiate wrestler. He died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the age of 22 on November 30, 2014.

Early life

Born on July 10, 1992 in Columbus, Ohio,^[1] Kostadinos "Kosta" Alexander Karageorge was noted by his parents as being a very big infant. He grew up in the Greek Orthodox tradition in The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral church. He grew up to become known for his size and strength in the wrestling ring, going on to become an All-American at Junior Nationals for Team Ohio and placed 6th in the state tournament his senior year of high school.

Collegiate career

Kosta Karageorge was a Division-I athlete for the Ohio State Buckeyes in both wrestling and in gridiron football, after transferring from the University of Oklahoma, where he was a wrestler.^[2][3][4][5] He was a walk-on to the football team for the 2014 season. In November of the 2014 season he was reported missing by his mother after she and other family and friends had received distressing text messages and social media posts by Karageorge concerning his headaches around his recent concussion.^[6] He proceeded to miss upcoming football practices and finally the Ohio State game against rival University of Michigan, raising concerns about his welfare.^[7]

Death

As an athlete, he experienced 15 reported concussions, however he is suspected to have experienced many more than 15 especially considering he had a history of concussions before college. Controversy over his suicide from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on November 30, 2014^[8] as a possible result from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) became apparent in June 2016 after a New York Times article found that samples of his brain did in fact show signs of stage 1 CTE after examination by Dr. Ann McKee, a Boston University neuropathologist at the Brain Bank,^[9] in conflict with the original findings from coroner Dr. Anahi Ortiz in consultation with Ohio State University's Dr. Norman Lehman.^[10][11][12] However, Dr. Ann McKee did note that stage 1 typically does not result in the types of neurological disturbances and behaviors experienced by Kosta Karageorge.^[13] Questions remain as to the health care of collegiate athletes^[14][15] and how athletes are often restricted to using college health care facilities,^[16] which due to large patient loads and high physician turnover,^[17][18][19] may miss crucial developments in their patients' care, even at highly regarded institutions.^{[20][21][22][23][24][25]} There have been documented conflicts of interest by training and coaching staff, and suggestions of such conflicts even with the NCAA, when deciding to pull an athlete from practice or games, and pressures to maintain one's position have also affected athletes' decisions to disclose injury.^{[26][27][28][29][30]}

Karageorge was remembered by the student body in a candlelight vigil, which took place on Ohio State University's Oval, next to a statue of university president William Oxley Thompson, where remembrance ceremonies are traditionally held by the student body.^[31] Students gathered there in the evening of November 30, 2014 after he was found. Ohio State University football team members served as Karageorge's pallbearers and included his jersey number (#53) as a helmet sticker in the game against Wisconsin.^[32][33][34]

References