Photo: Mitchell Layton/Getty
A former NFL quarterback, who has been outspoken about his mental health after years of playing football, was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence, according to multiple reports.
Mark Rypien, who was named Super Bowl MVP in 1992 while on the Washington Redskins, was arrested in Washington after he allegedly punched his wife in the stomach,KHQreported. The Spokane Police Department told the news station that Rypien’s wife complained of stomach pain after he allegedly hit her.
The department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
In a statement to PEOPLE, Rypien’s family denied he committed anything illegal.
“We want you to know that he did not commit any crime. As a family we are deeply concerned about the situation,” the family said. “Occurrences like this one are often chaotic scenes which are not conducive to revealing full clarity about what actually transpires.”
“We are confident that a complete investigation will result in the dismissal of all charges. As you may have learned from our public sharing last year, Mark suffers from what we suspect is CTE and that does leave us with some challenging situations to navigate with the assistance of a team of fantastic professionals,” the family said. “This, however, was not one such situation and we are confident that in the coming weeks, clarity about this unfortunate situation will be provided.”
Rypien has previously detailed the mental health difficulties he experienced over the years, including depression and suicidal thoughts. He discussed how the blows to the head, which he experienced on the football field are at the cause of his mental health issues, and that he may have chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
“People think you have to beknocked outto have a concussion,” Rypien toldThe Spokesman-Review, according toNBC Sports. “There arehundreds of timesyou shake it off and get back in there. It’s all about the cumulative hits. That’s what causes brain damage.”
Mark Rypien.Mike Coppola/Getty
The symptoms of CTE include difficulty thinking, depression, impulsive behavior, short-term memory loss and emotional instability. Irritability, aggression, speech difficulties, trouble swallowing and vision problems may also be signs of the condition.
These symptoms can begin to appear long after a player’s career, and evidence is mounting that suggests a link between playing football and the disease.
CTE can only be diagnosed after death, and in a2017 study of the brains of 111 deceased NFL players, a Boston University researcher found that 110 of them had the disease. “It is no longer debatable whether or not there is a problem in football—there is a problem,” the researcher of the study, Dr. Ann McKee, toldtheNew York Timesat the time.
source: people.com
