Shane Tamura References Terry Long in Memo After Fatal Shooting

Shane Tamura, the shooter who took the lives of four people near Manhattan’s NFL headquarters on Monday night, mentioned former Pittsburgh Steelers player Terry Long in a memo that has raised eyebrows across the league.

Terry Long tragically died by suicide after ingesting antifreeze. He had been diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a condition often linked to football.

In his memo, Tamura claimed he suffers from CTE as well and accused the NFL of minimizing the seriousness of the condition in pursuit of profit. “Terry Long Football gave me CTE, which gave me a gallon of antifreeze,” he wrote.

Further expressing his anger, he added, “You can’t oppose the NFL; they’ll crush you.”

He continued by urging, “Study the brain for CTE. The league intentionally hid the dangers in the brain to maximize profits. They made us fail.”

Terry Long played for the Pittsburgh Steelers between 1984 and 1991. His death in June 2005 at age 45 was later attributed to CTE following an examination of his brain.

In 1991, Long had also told police about struggles he faced, including a suspension from the league for steroid use. He had reportedly attempted suicide that same year.

In March 2005, Long faced legal troubles after being indicted for fraudulently obtaining loans. It was alleged that he had set fire to a chicken processing plant in hopes of collecting insurance money.

Reportedly, he had been dealing with personal issues prior to his death, including a separation from his second wife, which had contributed to his depression.

As for Shane Tamura, he played soccer in high school and was noted by police as having a significant history of mental health challenges.