The late René Weller suffered from dementia, possibly caused by repeated severe hits to the head. Not only boxers are affected by the life-threatening syndrome, studies are alarming.
“Dementia, Possibly Associated with Traumatic Encephalopathy Syndrome” – according to the “Spiegel” was the diagnosis that René Weller received from the Heidelberg University Hospital. The once dazzling, powerful boxer, sometimes called “beautiful René”, was in need of nursing care in the last years of his unsettled life, his wife Maria looked after him until the end. On Tuesday (08/22/2023) Weller died at the age of 69.
His severe dementia may have been work-related. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE for short, is caused by recurrent severe shocks to the brain. It can trigger depression, Parkinson’s disease, personality changes or even dementia.
“Punch Drunk” and “Boxer Syndrome”
The syndrome has been known since 1928, initially called “punch drunk”, later also “boxer syndrome”. In 1973, doctors posthumously demonstrated the typical changes in the brain that indicate CTE in 15 former boxers. Repeated hard hits in the head are wanted in martial arts, even a goal of the sport, the protagonists are endangered accordingly.
Maria Weller had previously criticized the Association of German Professional Boxers (BDB) in the “Badische Latest News”. “I find it very sad that nobody cares about him”, she said. Although her husband has represented Germany in each of his fights, nobody does anything, not even for the families. “There should be a pot for boxers who get sick from boxing.”
Boxing Association publishes text
The attacked BDB did not respond to a request from the newspaper, according to the Badische Latest News, but published a text on the association’s organ Boxen1. In it, Sven Haladyn, one of the BDB doctors, wrote that it could not be proven that boxing and the head hits he suffered were partly responsible for Weller’s dementia. “To date, this diagnosis can only be made by means of a brain-organic examination as part of an autopsy and based on typical symptoms and the appropriate history as a professional boxer.”
CTE in American Football
This basic problem, that an exact diagnosis is not possible during one’s lifetime, makes research more difficult. Only gradually did it become clear that not only boxers were affected. Especially in American football, new cases caused a stir from 2005, but the NFL professional league downplayed the connection between their sport and CTE for a long time.
Just before the 2023 Super Bowl, Boston University released the results of a study that examined 376 brains of deceased former NFL players. The diagnosis of CTE followed in 345 cases (92 percent).
In 2013, thousands of former NFL pros reached an agreement with the league after a class action lawsuit, receiving a payment of 700 million euros. 360 former rugby players and 15 soccer players in England are now following this example, blaming their sport and their associations for their illnesses.
CTE in English football
The topic is particularly present in English football, because many heroes of the 1966 World Cup team fell ill with dementia. West Bromwich Albion club legend Jeff Astle has been diagnosed with CTE following his death aged 59. The English football association FA then had the consequences of the header game researched and banned header training for children up to twelve years of age.
The University of Glasgow analyzed the causes of death of 7,500 former Scottish footballers. The finding: For football professionals, the risk of dying from Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s or other dementias is three and a half times higher than the average.
CTE in female athletes
There are also cases in baseball and ice hockey, just about anywhere where the brain is convulsed repeatedly and intensely. However, so far there has only been a CTE diagnosis in a woman: Australian football player Heather Anderson died in November 2022, she is said to have taken her own life. The fact that CTE has only now been detected in a woman underscores the finding that women are greatly underrepresented in sports science research projects.
Athletes always take a risk when they compete in competitive sports. Most of the time they know exactly what the dangers are. René Weller, on the other hand, is unlikely to have had the issue of CTE on his list during his active career. Whether it would have stopped him from boxing is another question that he can no longer answer.