>>> WE’RE BACK WITH ONE FAMILY’S SEARCH FOR ANSWERS AFTER THE
SUDDEN DEATH OF THEIR SON.
>> TYLER HILINSKI, A BELOVED
YOUNG MAN.
YOUNG MAN. WAS A PROMISING QUARTERBACK AT
WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY.
HE TOOK HIS OWN LIFE EARLIER
THIS YEAR.
THIS YEAR. AND WHAT HIS PARENTS HAVE
LEARNED SINCE COULD HELP OTHER
YOUNG ATHLETES AND THEIR
FAMILIES.
FAMILIES. >> WE’RE GOING TO TALK TO THEM
EXCLUSIVELY.
EXCLUSIVELY. FIRST, WHAT THEY SHARED WITH
"SPORTS ILLUSTRATED" FOR A
DOCUMENTARY ABOUT TYLER’S LIFE
AND LEGACY.
AND LEGACY. IT IS A MOMENT TYLER HILINSKI’S
FAMILY AND FRIENDS WILL NEVER
FORGET.
FORGET. THE SOPHOMORE QUARTERBACK
LEADING WASHINGTON STATE TO A
DRAMATIC COMEBACK WIN LAST
SEASON OVER BOISE STATE.
>> WASHINGTON STATE HAS A
COMEBACK FOR THE AGES.
>> Reporter: BUT MUCH MORE THAN
HIS ATHLETIC ACCOMPLISHMENTS,
THEY REMEMBER A KIND, YOUNG MAN,
WHO ALWAYS LOOKED OUT FOR
OTHERS.
OTHERS. UNTIL ONE AFTERNOON IN JANUARY,
WHEN HE DIDN’T SHOW UP FOR
PRACTICE.
PRACTICE. TWO OF HIS TEAMMATES WENT
LOOKING FOR HIM BUT IT WAS TOO
LATE.
LATE. AT THE AGE OF 21, TYLER HILINSKI
HAD TAKEN HIS OWN LIFE.
>> I REMEMBER MY PHONE RINGING
AND IT WAS COACH HUFF.
AND HE SAID, I’M SORRY,
MRS. HILINSKI, BUT TYLER’S DEAD.
>> Reporter: WHILE REELING FROM
SHOCK AND GRIEF, THE HILINSKIS
GOT AN UNUSUAL REQUEST.
>> YOU DON’T THINK YOU HAVE TO
GIVE HIS BRAIN TO THE MAYO
CLINIC.
CLINIC. >> Reporter: IT SHOWED EVIDENCE
OF CTE, THE BRAIN DISEASE THAT
MULTIPLE STUDIES HAVE LINKED TO
PLAYING FOOTBALL.
PLAYING FOOTBALL. >> DID TYLER GET CTE FROM
FOOTBALL?
FOOTBALL? PROBABLY.
PROBABLY. >> Reporter: IN A STATEMENT TO
NBC NEWS, WASHINGTON STATE
UNIVERSITY SAID IT HAD MANY
SAFEGUARDS IN PLACE TO PROTECT
STUDENTS BEFORE THE TRAGEDY AND
IS ADDING EVEN MORE.
INCLUDING A SECOND FORMAL MENTAL
HEALTH CLEANING FOR MEMBERS OF
THE FOOTBALL TEAM, AFTER WE LOST
TYLER, ALONG WITH MEETINGS WITH
ALL VARSITY ATHLETES TO IDENTIFY
INDIVIDUALS WHO MIGHT BE AT RISK
FOR MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES.
TYLER’S FAMILY HAS STARTED A
NONPROFIT CALLED THE HILINSKI
HOPE FOUNDATION IN HIS HONOR,
DEDICATED TO SUPPORTING HOPE
PROGRAMS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.
>> HE WAS GOOFY AND FUNNY AND
HILARIOUS HALF THE TIME.
>> WHERE IS MY BREAKFAST IN BED?
>> BUT WE DIDN’T SEE IT.
>> HIS BROTHERS DIDN’T SEE IT.
>> WE DIDN’T SEE IT AT ALL.
>> MARK AND KYM HILINSKI ARE
WITH US NOW.
THANK YOU FOR COMING.
FROM THAT INCREDIBLE
DOCUMENTARY, I SEE YOU RAISED A
BEAUTIFUL, INCREDIBLE KID AND
YOU’RE PRETTY INCREDIBLE
PARENTS.
PARENTS. WHAT WAS HE LIKE AS A YOUNG BOY?
>> WELL, PERFECT.
SWEET AND FUN AND GOOD AND KIND.
THAT’S HOW HE CONTINUED HIS
LIFE.
LIFE. >> SEEMS LIKE EVERYBODY WHO WAS
TALKED TO IN THE DOCUMENTARY,
EVERYONE WE TALKED TO, SAID HE
WAS LIKE A BRIGHT, HAPPY,
OUTGOING -- THEY DESCRIBED HIM
AS GOOFY AND OPTIMISTIC.
AND THEN, HE GOES TO COLLEGE AND
BECOMES THAT FOOTBALL PLAYER.
WHEN YOU SEE THAT IMAGE, WHAT DO
YOU THINK?
YOU THINK? >> THAT WAS AN EXCITING TIME.
WE WERE VERY EXCITED FOR HIM.
KIM WAS AT THE GAME.
RYAN AND I WERE WATCHING AT
HOME.
HOME. THAT WAS THE PINNACLE OF HIS
FOOTBALL CAREER.
FOOTBALL CAREER. WE’RE EXCITED TO TALK TO HIM
AFTERWARDS.
AFTERWARDS. HIS BROTHER IN THE HOSPITAL, AND
RYAN AND I AT HOME.
>> YOU HAVE A CHILD WHO SEEMS
PRESUMABLY ON TOP OF THE WORLD.
HAS EVERYTHING GOING FOR HIM.
I’M SURE A MILLION TIMES IN YOUR
HEAD YOU THOUGHT, WAS THERE
SOMETHING HE SAID, SOMETHING
THAT HAPPENED WHEN HE WAS AT
COLLEGE.
COLLEGE. WHEN YOU LOOKED BACK, WERE THERE
THINGS HE SAID OR ANYTHING YOU
THOUGHT OF?
THOUGHT OF? >> WE DO.
>> WE DO. YOU GO AND YOU LOOK AT EVERY
PIECE.
PIECE. AND THERE’S NOTHING REALLY
THERE.
THERE. MAYBE THERE’S A COMMENT HERE OR
THERE.
THERE. THERE’S CERTAIN PLAYS THAT WE
LOOKED AT LIKE THE ARIZONA GAME,
WHICH IS IN THE "SPORTS
ILLUSTRATED" PIECE.
ILLUSTRATED" PIECE. CERTAIN HITS HE TOOK.
BUT THERE WEREN’T REALLY ANY
VERBAL SIGNS FROM TYLER TO US OR
TO ANYBODY AT WASHINGTON STATE,
THAT HE WAS SUFFERING.
>> WHEN YOU GOT THE PHONE CALL
AND I WATCHED YOU WATCHING THE
PIECE, HOW MANY TIMES IN YOUR
HEAD DO YOU HEAR THAT VOICE OF
COACH HUFF TELLING YOU WHAT
HAPPENED TO YOUR SON?
>> COACH HUFF CALLED AND SAID
THAT TYLER MISSED PRACTICE.
THAT WAS THE FIRST CALL I GOT,
WHICH WAS SO -- HE HASN’T MISSED
PRACTICE IN 21 YEARS.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> AND IMMEDIATELY, THEY SAIDLE
THEY WERE FILING A MISSING
PERSONS REPORT.
PERSONS REPORT. AND THE TEAM COULDN’T FIND HIS
CAR, ET CETERA, ET CETERA.
WE WERE THINKING -- HE WAS A
TERRIBLE DRIVER, THAT HE WAS OUT
OF GAS OR A HIT AND RUN TO
COMPLETE TERROR.
COMPLETE TERROR. AND IT HAPPENED IN THE BLINK OF
AN EYE.
AN EYE. WE WERE, OBVIOUSLY, DEVASTATED.
>> WHEN YOU HEARD ABOUT HOW YOUR
SON PASSED AWAY, WAS THERE
DISBELIEF?
DISBELIEF? LIKE, HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. I THINK MOSTLY BECAUSE, HE
DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO SHOOT A GUN.
HE’S NEVER SHOT A GUN EXCEPT FOR
THE DAY BEFORE HE PASSED.
HE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT HE WAS DOING
WHEN HE HAD THAT AR-15.
IT BELONGED TO ANOTHER ATHLETE.
AND I THINK THE FACT THAT, HOW
WE DID IT WAS A SHOCK OF ITSELF.
>> AND YOU MENTIONED IN THAT
DOCUMENTARY, TOO, THAT THE MAYO
CLINIC ASKED TO DO AN AUTOPSY.
DID YOU THINK IT WAS UNUSUAL
THAT THE MAYO CLINIC WANTED TO
DO AN AUTOPSY ON A TEENAGE BOY,
A FOOTBALL PLAY CENTER.
>> IT WASN’T SURPRISING TO US AT
THE TIME.
THE TIME. I MEAN, WE WERE IN COMPLETE
SHOCK.
SHOCK. WE WANTED TO KNOW EVERYTHING WE
COULD AND FIND OUT ANYTHING WE
COULD, OF COURSE.
WE IMMEDIATELY SAID SURE.
WE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT WE
CAN FIND OUT.
>> AND THE FINDINGS THAT A YOUNG
BOY, YOUR SON’S AGE HAD CTE.
I DIDN’T KNOW A PERSON THAT
YOUNG COULD HAVE THAT.
>> WE DIDN’T, EITHER.
IT WAS, LIKE MARK SAID, IT WAS A
SHOCK TO GET THE CULTS AND TO
FIND OUT THAT HE HAD IT.
AND TO REALIZE THAT THE SPORT
THAT HE LOVED MAY HAVE
CONTRIBUTED TO THAT DIAGNOSIS.
>> THE MEDICAL EXAMINER SAID HE
HAD THE BRAIN OF A 65-YEAR-OLD.
THAT’S REALLY HARD TO TAKE.
YOU MENTIONED EARLIER, HE WAS
THE SWEETEST, MOST OUTGOING,
GIVING KID.
GIVING KID. THAT WAS DIFFICULT TO HEAR.
>> ANOTHER THING THAT I FOUND
MUST HAVE BEEN WRENCHING FOR
YOU, AS PARENTS, IS YOUR OTHER
SON, RYAN, WHO WAS PLAYING
COLLEGE FOOTBALL.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL. >> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> DID YOU WANT TO SAY TO HIM,
HONEY, NO.
HONEY, NO. I’M SORRY.
I’M SORRY. >> WE GOT THE RESULTS.
AND WE DIDN’T JUST GET THE
RESULTS AND HAND HIM THE RESULTS
AND SAY READ THIS.
WE DID A LOT OF RESEARCH.
CAN CTE BE TESTED IN THE LIVING?
IT CAN’T.
IT CAN’T. IS THERE A GENETIC OR HEREDITARY
LINK?
LINK? THEY’RE NOT SURE.
WE HAD TO FIND OUT AS MUCH
INFORMATION AS WE CAN, TALK TO
EXPERTS AND LET RYAN KNOW.
>> YOU CAME HERE OBVIOUSLY.
YOU HAVE A MESSAGE.
YOU WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW
SOMETHING.
SOMETHING. WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT PEOPLE
TO KNOW?
TO KNOW? >> WELL, WITH HILINSKI’S HOPE,
WE REALIZE WHAT IS HITTING THE
COUNTRY RIGHT NOW WITH RECENT
DEATHS BY SUICIDE, THAT PEOPLE
NEED TO KEEP TALKING ABOUT
INSIDE AND MENTAL ILLNESS AND
MENTAL HEALTH.
MENTAL HEALTH. WE NEED TO ERASE THE SIGMA.
WHAT WE’RE FRYING TO DO FOR
STUDENT ATHLETES IS WE’RE FRYING
TO FUND PROGRAMS THAT SUPPORT
THEM AND THEIR MENTAL HEALTH.
THEY NEED IT.
THERE’S NOT ENOUGH OUT THERE FOR
THE BEAUTIFUL ATHLETES THAT GIVE
OF THEMSELVES TO THEIR COLLEGES.
BUT THEIR MINDS% TAKEN EN SS ARE
CARE OF.
CARE OF. >> WHAT DO YOU MISS THE MOST
ABOUT YOUR SON?
SO WE CAN KNOW HIM A LITTLE
MORE.
MORE. >> THE PART THAT’S HARDEST IS
THE LITTLE THINGS.
HEY, BIG, HOW ARE YOU DOING?
FACETIME AND TEXTS.
CERTAINLY PLAYING.
CERTAINLY PLAYING. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THREE,
BEAUTIFUL KIDS.
BEAUTIFUL KIDS. THE YOUNGER ONE WHO IS DONE
PLAYING.
PLAYING. AND TYLER WAS JUST AS SPECIAL
AND IT WAS FUN TO SEE HIM ON THE
WEEKENDS OR WHEN HE WOULD COME
HOME.
HOME. >> I WANT TO THANK BOTH OF YOU
FOR COMING.
FOR COMING. I KNOW IT’S HARD AND IT IS
IMPORTANT.
IMPORTANT. THANK YOU FOR COMING.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING US.
>> THANK YOU.
>> COME HERE TO ME.