Ohio State walk-on football player Kosta Karageorge suffered from concussions and didn't report them, according to teammate and fellow defensive lineman Michael Bennett.
“We knew he had a lot of concussions … he never reported them,” Bennett said on a conference call Monday afternoon.
“I think he was the toughest guy I ever met. He must have been dealing with a lot of stuff internally … We would tell him to take it easy, if you want to sit out nobody is going to judge you because those are serious. But his mentality was always never quit, never back down from a challenge.”
Karageorge, who was found dead Sunday in a dumpster a block away from his off-campus apartment after disappearing for four days, is believed to have committed suicide. And while it’s unclear whether head injuries played a role in his death, his family said he complained of concussions.
Before he went missing early Wednesday morning, he sent his mother, Susan, a text that read: “Sorry if I am an embarrassment, but these concussions have my head all fucked up," according to reports.
Sophia Karageorge, his sister, told the New York Times her brother suffered from at least four or five head injuries:
“He had a pretty bad concussion last fall and he told me about differences in his behavior,” she told the paper. “Just, like, confusion, disorientation, being unable to focus, mood swings — not feeling like himself, basically, not feeling quite right.”
On Monday, an Ohio State spokesman asked asked reporters to refrain from questions regarding the ongoing investigation into Karageorge's death and whether the school was aware of his alleged concussions.
"I was told not to address anything, (but) I can say this is the best group of medical people I've ever been around," head coach Urban Meyer said, "the way they handle their business and the attention to detail.”
The school also issued a statement Friday maintaining its confidence in medical procedures and policies. There is no evidence to suggest Ohio State didn’t follow proper protocols.
Players maintained their confidence in how the school handles concussion and other head injuries.
“As with anything, we have the best in the country here and we always will. I personally haven’t had a concussion here, but I know with anything I’ve had — minor or major — they’ve been on top of it completely,” junior tackle Taylor Decker said. “I have the utmost confidence in all of the processes and how we handle things.”
Added redshirt sophomore guard Pat Elflein: “Coaches always say, ‘Take care of your body.’ And we have different ways of taking care of your body and you’ve got to make sure you stay up on all that and if you have any signs of symptoms, we have our medical staff, (it’s) the best in the country.”
Dr. Anahi Ortiz of Franklin County Coroner’s office told Eleven Warriors Karageorge’s manner of death — which refers to how the cause of death (a gunshot wound) arose — remains undetermined. Karageorge will reportedly receive a special examination on his brain.
