SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — San Diego’s own AJ Soares played on the world stage.
But it began on the green soccer pitches of North San Diego County, where he became a case study in the dangers of contact youth sports.
"It started at this field in San Diego when I was six years old," Soares said.
Then, he attended Torrey Pines High School, where he was an all-star and CIF champion. He became team captain at the University of California, Berkeley, before becoming a pro and playing in Major League Soccer.
His career peaked at the top of the game when Soares starred in European soccer in Sweden.
It was a game he loved, but there was a dark side. During his 20-year career, Soares said it was filled with, what he estimates, up to 20 serious concussions, and thousands of hard hits leading to sub-concussions. People don’t realize how physical the game is.
"It's no pads, full sprinting, running into each other, jumping for headers, elbows," Soares said. "It's way more physical than anyone would imagine."
As concussions piled up, Soares said each one was worse than the last.
"It felt terrible; I felt awful, you know?" Soares said. "I felt like I couldn't continue playing."
It was a huge decision to hang up his cleats in the game he loved. But it led to minor depression, major headaches, and long recovery times.
"I just decided enough was enough, and it wasn't really worth continuing to suffer concussions or any damage," Soares said.
Soares said he hopes his early retirement may have saved him from CTE, the fatal brain injury found in NFL players that has too often led to suicide. He cannot know for sure because CTE can only be diagnosed after death by an autopsy of the brain.
It is a disease that famously took San Diego’s own Junior Seau’s life; his sister Mary Seau remembers his wish to send his brain for study.
"Shooting himself in the chest, I believe that he did that because he wanted to save his brain," Mary Seau said.
Junior Seau’s brain, along with Dave Duerson, a well-known and liked Chicago Bears player, was sent to the epicenter of CTE research at Boston University. Both suicides woke up the NFL and players to the dangers of repeated concussions.
Now, the author of a groundbreaking study at Boston University told Team 10 there are new alarming findings that CTE isn’t just a danger to NFL players. It starts early. Dr. Ann Mckee, the pathologist leading the way, was shocked at the findings in her research.
"Our research has repeatedly shown that the more hits you get over the course of your years of play, the more likely you are to get CTE," Mckee said. "And that risk exists for players at the amateur and professional levels."
In Mckee’s bank of skulls, she now has 152 brains from athletes who died before 30 and never played professional contact sports.
"We found that over 40% of those 152 athletes had CTE, and that indicates to us that this disease can start quite early, and it can affect players who will play at amateur levels," Mckee said.
Mckee’s research shows that for every 2.5 years someone plays tackle football, the risk for CTE doubles. She recommends playing tackle only in high school, and since few players move on to college, the pros-- most players will have marginal risk.
"It's cumulative hits to the head at any level over your playing career," Mckee said. "So shortening your playing career is an easy way to lower your risk."
There are other head injury dangers that are short of CTE, but they are just as damaging. The cause is, again, repetitive concussions.
It’s the hard lesson Scott Eveland learned at San Mission Hills High School in San Marcos from a paralyzing head injury on the football field. His mom, Diane Luth, remembers that terrible night.
"He got hit, and he laid on that field," Luth said. "And he didn't get up and he didn't wake up."
Eveland is now wheelchair-bound and non-verbal, but on that fateful Friday night under the lights, he spoke up loud and clear, telling the trainer he could not play any longer because of a series of hits to the head.
Eveland pleaded not to play and expressed his headache, according to Luth. She said Eveland told her that he could not even see the football.
"...And the trainer tells my son, 'You go ahead and sit down. You don't have to play, I'm going to go tell the coach,'" Luth said. "And then the coach said 'Eveland, get in.'"
The lesson for other parents says this mom, take control, watch for signs of concussion, and if necessary, come out of the stands.
Scott won a 4.5 million dollar lawsuit in a settlement with the San Marcos School District. Money, he would gladly give back for his health.
Diane Lutz is emphatic.
"His life was stolen from him," Lutz said.
Dr. Amanda Gooding works with brain injury patients at UC San Diego. She agrees there are things parents can look for from the stands.
"Major red flags for a concussion may be something like looking dazed, confused and stumbling on the field and being disoriented, being slower in their reaction time or ability to get up from play," Gooding said.
While most schools and leagues have adopted rules to lessen head-to-head contact and have concussion protocols, parents should not hesitate to step in, according to Gooding.
"This is really challenging because athletes, typically, are in sports because they enjoy playing them," Gooding said. "They don't want to be removed from the game. They're concerned about missing the next practice or the next game."
Gooding said this comes down to the people around the athlete and the system supporting a culture of safety.
Diane Lutz has these words of advice.
"Be really vigilant and watch for your child," Lutz said. "I've learned that some coaches are much better than others."
This brings us back to Soares, who said, "No more” in his prime was the most difficult decision he ever made, but one he has never regretted.
"You don't want to play through it. It's not worth it," Soares said. "I can tell you now, looking back, I wish I had taken way more games off."
Researchers say the most at-risk sports for youngsters are tackle football and soccer because of the ball's heading. Which even in high school, they say should be eliminated in practice and limited in games, hockey, no checking until high school and lacrosse where sticks often make contact with the head.
Their final caution is remember, the fewer the hits, the less the risk, and concussions should be taken seriously with plenty of recovery time and even a doctor’s visit before return to play.
