THE WEEK.
THAT LOOK AHEAD IN A FEW
MINUTES.
>>> OFTEN WHEN YOU HEAR OF CTE
IT'S ABOUT NFL PLAYERS WHO'VE
HAD LONG CAREERS.
>> THIS DISEASE IS ACTUALLY
LINKED TO REPETIVE BLOWS TO THE
HEAD, BUT NEW TONIGHT AT
11:00 AN INDIANA FAMILY IS
GIVING A WARNING AFTER THEIR
21-YEAR-OLD SON WAS DIAGNOSED
WITH IT.
>> TONIGHT OUR ALLEN CARTER
SHARES THEIR STORY.
>> Reporter: HE WAS THE TYPE
OF PLAYER OFTEN DIDN'T WANT TO
LINE UP AGAINST.
THE TYPE OF PLAYER WHO HAD
QUARTERBACKS LOOKING OVER THEIR
SHOULDER.
>> HE WAS ALWAYS ABLE TO
ANTICIPATE WHERE THE BALL'S
GOING, GET THERE QUICKLY, FILL
HOLES.
>> Reporter: A DECORATED
RUNNING BACK AND LINEBACKER AT
GARREN CATHOLIC PLAYED ON
SCHOLARSHIP AT WITH
SCHOLARSHIP AT W WH
SCHOLARSHIP AT W WABASH COLLEGE.
>> BY THE TIME HE WAS SENIOR HE
WAS CAPTAIN OF THE TEAM.
>> Reporter: EVAN'S PARENTS,
CHUCK AND MARY, SAID SINCE HE
WAS LITTLE THERE WAS A FOOTBALL
IN HIS HAND.
>> EVAN WAS THE TYPE OF KID THAT
HE JUST BASICALLY KIND OF ALWAYS
LOOKED LIKE A FOOTBALL PLAYER.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT HIM IN HIS
WABASH JERSEY HIS SENIOR YEAR
THAT'S WHAT HE LOOKED LIKE WHEN
HE WAS 18 MONTHS OLD.
>> Reporter: BUT THERE WAS
MUCH MORE TO EVAN THAN FOOTBALL.
HE MAJORED IN SPANISH AND HAD
PLANS TO BECOME A TRANSLATOR.
>> HE JUST ALWAYS WAS IN A GOOD
MOOD.
JUST A VERY HUMBLE, CARING,
FRIENDLY, YOUNG MAN THAT
EVERYONE JUST SEEMED TO LOVE.
>> Reporter: IT WAS ABOUT LATE
2017 HIS PARENTS SAY THEY
STARTED TO NOTICE A CHANGE IN
HIS PERSONALITY, GOING THROUGH
MULTIPLE MEDICATIONS BUT NOTHING
SEEMED TO WORK.
>> I WAS DEFINITELY THINKING
THAT SOMETHING, RIGHT, BECAUSE
HOW DO YOU GO THROUGH THREE
ANTIDEPRESSANTS AND HAVE
BASICALLY NOTHING GOOD
HAPPENING.
>> Reporter: THIS PICTURE WAS
TAKEN SEPTEMBER 8TH, 2018, JUST
TWO DAYS BEFORE CHUCK FOUND HIS
SON.
>> IT WAS PRETTY HORRENDOUS.
SENT THE TEXT AND TRIED TO CALL
AND JUST -- I ASSUMED AT FIRST
HE WAS AT A FRIEND'S HOUSE OR
SOMETHING, BUT THEN AT SOME
POINT I JUST DECIDED TO GO FIND
HIM AND THEN BY THAT TIME WHEN I
FOUND HIM HE WAS ALREADY PASSED.
THE LOSS CAN NEVER BE REPLACED,
SO YOU'RE NEVER NORMAL IN THAT
SENSE AGAIN.
IT'S JUST PART OF YOU IS JUST
GONE.
>> Reporter: AND NATURALLY
WHEN SOMEONE DIES, ESPECIALLY BY
SUICIDE, THERE ARE A LOT OF
QUESTIONS AFTERWARD.
WHAT WERE THE WARNING SIGNS?
COULD WE HAVE DONE MORE?
IT TOOK OVER A YEAR BEFORE THE
HANSENS WOULD GET SOME CLARITY.
A STUDY OF EVAN'S BRAIN BY
RESEARCHERS AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY
REVEALED THE 21-YEAR-OLD HAD
>> SO FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE IT
SEEMED LIKE IT WAS MORE IN LINE
WITH WHAT WE SAW --
>> IT HELPED EXPLAIN SOME
THINGS.
>> IT STANDS FOR CHRONIC
TRAUMATIC ENCEPHALOPOTHY.
THERE'S A DISEASE TO THE BRAIN
RELATED TO REPETITIVE TRAUMA.
>> Reporter: WORKING ON A
STUDY LOOKING INTO CTE IN
ATHLETES.
HE SAYS A LOT OF THE DISEASE IS
STILL A MYSTERY.
>> WE ARE CONCERNED THAT
REPETITIVE HEAD IMPACT EXPOSURE
AND CONCUSSIONS CAN PUT SOMEONE
AT RISK, BUT WE DON'T KNOW
WHETHER THE RISK IS EQUAL FOR
EVERYONE.
>> THAT'S EVAN'S SENIOR PICTURE.
HE SWITCHED BACK TO HIS 32
NUMBER.
>> Reporter: THERE IS STILL A
LOT OF PRIDE FOR CHUCK AND MARY,
LOOKING AT EVERYTHING EVAN
ACCOMPLISHED ON THE FIELD.
>> HE MADE A REALLY BIG TACKLE,
AND SO HE DID THAT.
>> Reporter: THERE WAS
CONFLICT TOO.
>> OKAY, HE'S PLAYED 14 YEARS OF
TACKLE FOOTBALL.
IT PROBABLY SHOULD -- I THINK IT
SHOULD BE A PART OF THE HISTORY.
>> DO YOU THINK EVAN DIDN'T PLAY
FOOTBALL HE'D STILL BE HERE?
>> I MEAN, THE STATISTICS ALMOST
SURELY SAY THAT, WHETHER IT'S
FIRST GRADE OR YOU'RE FIFTH YEAR
IN THE NFL.
IT'S THE NUMBER OF YEARS YOU
PLAY, AND IF YOU'RE GOOD ENOUGH
TO GET TO THE NFL OR GOOD ENOUGH
TO GET TO COLLEGE FOOTBALL YOU
CAN'T UNPLAY SECOND GRADE
FOOTBALL.
YOU CAN'T UNPLAY FOURTH GRADE
FOOTBALL.
>> Reporter: THEY JUST WISH
CTE WAS ON THEIR RADAR IN THE
YEAR LEADING UP TO EVAN'S DEATH.
BUT ONE OF THE BIGGEST
CHALLENGES WITH CTE IS THAT YOU
CAN'T TEST THE BRAIN AND
DIAGNOSE SOMEONE WHILE THEY'RE
>> PEOPLE REALIZE SOMETHING LIKE
THIS CAN HAPPEN TO HIM IT COULD
HAPPEN TO ANYONE.
>> Reporter: IN HAMILTON
COUNTY, ALLEN CARTER, CHANNEL 13
EYEWITNESS NEWS.
>> AN OCTOBER STUDY FROM THE
BOSTON UNIVERSITY CTE RESEARCH
CENTER FOUND FOR EACH YEAR OF
TACKLE FOOTBALL PLAYED THE RISK
FOR DEVELOPING CTE INCREASES
>> EVAN BEGAN PLAYING TACKLE
FOOTBALL WHEN HE WAS EIGHT.