'He wanted to play, no matter what': CFLer Rick Klassen's son on his late father's severe CTE
As a former Canadian Football League defensive lineman, Rick Klassen bore visible scars from a career playing football. Now we've finally learned about the toll his years of professional football took on the inside — specifically, on his brain.
Before he died, the former BC Lions player agreed to have his brain tested for chronic traumatic encephalopathy — a disease that can be caused by repeated brain injuries. The results, released Thursday, were startling.
Doctors say Klassen's brain looked like it came from someone in their 70s or 80s — not a person who died at 57.
Chad Klassen is the son of Rick Klassen. He spoke with As It Happens guest host Laura Lynch about his father and how the findings have changed his perspective on the game. Here is part of their conversation.
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Laura Lynch: Chad, how did you react when you got the results showing the extent of the damage to your dad's brain?
Chad Klassen: It was a little surprising. Not surprising to the extent that we knew he had CTE and he knew, before he passed away, that he had CTE. The surprising part is the extent of the CTE. Talking with Dr. Lili-Naz Hazrati, who conducted the autopsy, she told me that among the two dozen athletes — both hockey and football players — that she studied, that my dad is one of the worst cases, which came as a bit of a shock to me, to be honest.
LL: What exactly did the doctors find when they looked at your dad's brain?
CK: There was damage and it was mostly to his frontal lobe, which affects emotions and your ability to control your emotions and certainly we saw that as a family. He was very irritable at times and unfortunately our immediate family got the brunt of it — my brother, sister, myself, my mom.
LL: What did he tell you about what it felt like to know his brain might have been damaged by his career?
CK: My dad knew he had suffered concussions. He said he suffered three major concussions during his football career where he got completely knocked out. He also said that he suffered thousands of what he called minor concussions because he was hitting on pretty much every play. He didn't like the symptoms that came with the concussions, but, at the same time, he would tell me that regardless of how he felt and the risks of playing a sport like football that he would actually do it all again because he loved the game so much and wanted to play.
LL: But do you think he knew back then that all of this would have resulted in something as serious as CTE?
CK: I don't think so, to be honest. He would tell me stories of getting hit and knocked out and feeling dizzy and seeing stars. But really, the teams didn't know back then about concussions and what affect they could have on an athlete. I mean, he would tell me stories of getting hit and then maybe coming out for one play and then going right back in.
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LL: The fact that he would get hit and he would have a mini concussion. He'd go back out and he'd come back in — what does that tell you about the kind of player and person your dad was?
CK: He was a very tenacious player. His motor was always going. He was a fast player and very determined. He would tell me that when he was injured and had to sit out that he hated it. He wanted to play, no matter what. It doesn't surprise me, to be honest, when I hear about stories of him getting hit and seeing stars and him going right back into the game. He just loved playing. He would do it again, in a heartbeat. I'm sure up in heaven he is playing right now.
LL: How have these results changed how you see the game of football?
CK: I still love the sport and watching. I still love those big hits. But at the same time, knowing what the players are going through, given the results of my dad's brain autopsy, certainly makes me think twice about allowing my kids to play. I don't have kids yet, but my wife and I have talked about that recently, as far as not letting our kids play football and be subject to that kind of damage.
LL: What do you think your dad would have thought about your change of view?
CK: I think he knew. When we were kids, my brother and I were interested in playing football. Honestly, my dad didn't want that even back then because he knew the damage that had happened to his brain and he didn't want that for his own kids.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. For more on this story, listen to our full interview with Chad Klassen.