I'd specifically add schizophrenia and bipolar disorder to that list and as possible explanations. It is not at all uncommon for mental illness in men to present in early adulthood. In men, it is sadly pretty common for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder to first appear in that 18-25 age range. Mark recently turned 24 years old. He was 21 or 22 years old at the time of his first few wild arrests.
Is it possible he's got CTE? Yes.
Is it possible he has serious mental health issues? Yes.
Is it possible he has both CTE and serious mental health issue? Yes.
Is it possible he's just being a drunken *******? Sure, but I think that one is looking more and more unlikely with each incident.
Regardless, I hope he gets the help he needs before he hurts himself, someone else, or ends up in prison (or worse). If you've ever dealt with mental illness with a close friend or family member, you know it is serious and can completely change a person's behavior.
Totally agree - any of these are possible. I don't want to undermine any type of mental illness. I think that's a very real thing that's underdiagnosed.
But I don't think this board is very impartial either. If this was a FSU or UF player - the overwhelming reaction would be he's a scumbag, F him. When it's a Miami player - it's he's got mental health issues/CTE and needs help. And I think that might be letting Walton off the hook a bit. He needs to be accountable, no matter what the reason.
In my personal opinion - I don't think myself or anyone else on this board have any idea if Walton has actual mental issues that need medical treatment - everyone's just guessing. So to act like it definitely is, or even likely is bipolar, CTE, etc. seems like a stretch. I do feel he at least has some emotional issues he's dealing with where he'd benefit from some type of professional help.
My skepticism is - his physical altercations are that he's beat up his girlfriend (twice), and his cousin who looks like he's 130 lbs soaking wet. Seems like these random, uncontrollable acts of violence only come out against those half his size who won't press charges. And I doubt that's a coincidence.
These are good questions and I agree with your point about there being "a range of possibilities for Walton's actions." The truth is that neurological and especially psychiatric illnesses are very difficult to diagnose with certainty. There is often disagreement even amongst clinicians about the correct diagnosis. For example, a person suffering with depression may get a diagnosis of major depressive disorder from one provider and a diagnosis of bipolar or schizoaffective disorder from another provider.
Compared to physical illnesses, neurological and psychiatric conditions lack effective biomarkers that can help determine a diagnosis (think antibody test to help diagnose COVID). So, providers have to rely on other (less discernible) clinical features, such as mood, thought process, speech etc. In other words, since these conditions affect people's behavior, emotions, and thoughts, all of these variables have to be considered for a diagnosis. Ray Rice and Joe Mixon may have done what they did because of CTE but a diagnosis should not be based on one violent episode. More clinical information would be needed about those dudes before arriving at a diagnosis.
In Mark's case though, we have multiple examples of bizarre behavior and violent tendencies. Could another psychiatric illness better explain what's going on here, such as schizophrenia or bipolar with psychosis? Sure, those are possibilities. And, he might even have both CTE and a psychiatric illness. However, the people on here disputing the likelihood of CTE are being disingenuous. It is not just plausible but highly likely that he has CTE based on the fact that he meets the clinical criteria needed for a CTE diagnosis:
He played football for more than 2 years at the high school level and beyond
He exhibits explosiveness, impulsivity, rage, violent outbursts, and emotional lability (i.e. mood swings).
I think we can agree that Mark's brain is significantly impaired (likely irreversibly). He might have had a preexisting psychiatric or neurological illness but, whether we call this CTE or something else, playing football for as long as he did at the level he did has led to worsening and accelerating his neurological deterioration.
We just see it different - I think CTE is "a possibility", you think it's "highly likely".
I just think anyone who is not his doctor can say anything is "highly likely".
But if you look at his arrests:
Busted with weed (no big deal)
Argument in a parking garage (footage showed that was nothing at all)
Runs from cops after being pulled over and tasered (just plain stupid and lucky it didn't turn out worse - but non-violent)
But then...
Beats up his girlfriend
Beats up his girlfriend again
Beats up his cousin
Yelling at a Pizza Hut was dumb - but the cops let him go. Could've easily been nothing. It wasn't until he was around the corner and knocked out his cousin that he got arrested.
IMO - beating up people half his size is just as indicative of being a bully than having serious mental problems.
Also just my opinion - but I doubt every domestic violence case against any dude that played college football it's "highly likely" CTE is the reason.
