Story highlights
NEW: Kosta Karageorge's brain will likely be examined for evidence of damage
Ohio State coach calls the death an "incredible tragedy"
Karageorge was also a wrestler as well as a football player
He died from what authorities believe was a self-inflicted gunshot wound
The rough sports he loved may have helped to do Kosta Karageorge in at age 22.
The body of the Ohio State University football player and wrestler was found Sunday in a Dumpster. A handgun was found nearby. Police believe he shot himself.
His mother told police after he went missing last week that her son had sustained several concussions and suffered from confusion “spells” in the past.
They appeared to weigh heavily on him in the last text message he sent her from his cell phone.
“I am sorry if I am an embarrassment but these concussions have my head all f***ed up,” he wrote early Wednesday.
It’s not clear when or how Karageorge sustained the concussions. Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer told reporters Monday that he was told not to discuss Karageorge’s medical history. A team spokesman said Karageorge, a reserve defensive lineman who walked on to the team, had never played in a game and was never on a travel roster.
Team physician Dr. Jim Borchers said Friday that the team was not able to discuss or comment on Karageorge’s medical care.
“We are confident in our medical procedures and policies to return athletes to participation following injury or illness,” Borchers said.
The wrestling coach, Tom Ryan, told the Columbus Dispatch that Karageorge “didn’t have any documented concussions as a wrestler” during his three years with the team.
Franklin County Coroner Anahi Ortiz said Karageorge’s brain will likely be tested for evidence of damage due to concussions.
Body found while scavenging
Karageorge had been missing since Wednesday after he missed an early morning football practice. Karageorge’s sister, Sophia, told Cleveland.com that he was upset about something Tuesday night and that his roommates said he went for a walk.
Police, some on horseback, scoured the area around campus. Students joined in, posting fliers with Karageorge’s photo under windshield wipers and on telephone posts.
Then on Sunday afternoon, a woman and her son scavenging containers came upon his body, Columbus police Sgt. Richard Weiner said. Police identified Karageorge by his tattoos.
The school’s Athletics Department expressed shock and sadness over his death. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the Karageorge family, and those who knew him, during this most difficult time,” it said in a statement.
After night fell Sunday, hundreds of students gathered on campus at a statue of Ohio State’s founder to remember Karageorge. They stood in silence, heads bowed.
Meyer on Monday called Karageorge’s death an “incredible tragedy.”
CNN’s Dana Ford, Joshua Berlinger and Josh Levs contributed to this report.