#247 CTE, Brain Injury & the Hidden Cost of High-Impact Sports | William Person
Thu Feb 05 2026
Ever wonder how repeated hits affect the brain long after the game ends?
William Person shares his firsthand experience with CTE, sub-concussive impacts, & cognitive decline, revealing why high-impact sports carry hidden risks for mental health & long-term performance.
Meet our guest
William Person is a former nine-year Team USA bobsled athlete whose career left him battling severe CTE symptoms including cognitive decline, depression & debilitating headaches. After discovering Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, he regained mental clarity, vision & purpose, inspiring a new mission focused on brain healing. Today, William is raising awareness around brain injury in sports, the military & beyond while working to open a nonprofit Post Concussion Recovery Center to provide care at no cost.
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Key takeaways
Bobsledding carries serious under-recognized risks for brain injury & CTE even without obvious crashes
Repetitive subconcussive impacts accumulate over time, leading to significant neurological damage
CTE affects more than professional athletes, impacting military personnel, domestic violence survivors, & others
CTE links closely with higher suicide rates & severe behavioral health crises among athletes & veterans
Symptoms often appear years later & are frequently misdiagnosed as depression, diabetes, or normal aging
Some organizations suppress or erase evidence of risks to protect legal or financial interests
Friends & family often notice behavioral or cognitive decline before the individual recognizes it
Legal systems & institutions create barriers that slow warnings, prevention, & treatment efforts
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy delivered dramatic improvements when conventional treatments failed
Advocacy & speaking out drive real change, even when efforts begin with a single determined voice
Episode highlights
0:00 Expose Hidden Brain Injury Risks in Elite Sports
6:12 Connect CTE to Mental Health Decline
15:48 Challenge Medical & Organizational Failures
25:36 Understand How CTE Develops Over Time
36:58 Explore Recovery Pathways & Treatment Hope
51:42 Build Advocacy Community & Next Steps
Links
Watch it on YouTube: https://outliyr.com/247-video
Full episode show notes: outliyr.com/247
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Nick
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Ever wonder how repeated hits affect the brain long after the game ends? William Person shares his firsthand experience with CTE, sub-concussive impacts, & cognitive decline, revealing why high-impact sports carry hidden risks for mental health & long-term performance. Meet our guest William Person is a former nine-year Team USA bobsled athlete whose career left him battling severe CTE symptoms including cognitive decline, depression & debilitating headaches. After discovering Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, he regained mental clarity, vision & purpose, inspiring a new mission focused on brain healing. Today, William is raising awareness around brain injury in sports, the military & beyond while working to open a nonprofit Post Concussion Recovery Center to provide care at no cost. Thank you to our partners Outliyr Biohacker’s Peak Performance Shop: get exclusive discounts on cutting-edge health, wellness, & performance gear Ultimate Health Optimization Deals: a database of of all the current best biohacking deals on technology, supplements, systems and more Latest Summits, Conferences, Masterclasses, and Health Optimization Events: join me at the top events around the world FREE Outliyr Nootropics Mini-Course: gain mental clarity, energy, motivation, and focus Key takeaways Bobsledding carries serious under-recognized risks for brain injury & CTE even without obvious crashes Repetitive subconcussive impacts accumulate over time, leading to significant neurological damage CTE affects more than professional athletes, impacting military personnel, domestic violence survivors, & others CTE links closely with higher suicide rates & severe behavioral health crises among athletes & veterans Symptoms often appear years later & are frequently misdiagnosed as depression, diabetes, or normal aging Some organizations suppress or erase evidence of risks to protect legal or financial interests Friends & family often notice behavioral or cognitive decline before the individual recognizes it Legal systems & institutions create barriers that slow warnings, prevention, & treatment efforts Hyperbaric oxygen therapy delivered dramatic improvements when conventional treatments failed Advocacy & speaking out drive real change, even when efforts begin with a single determined voice Episode highlights 0:00 Expose Hidden Brain Injury Risks in Elite Sports 6:12 Connect CTE to Mental Health Decline 15:48 Challenge Medical & Organizational Failures 25:36 Understand How CTE Develops Over Time 36:58 Explore Recovery Pathways & Treatment Hope 51:42 Build Advocacy Community & Next Steps Links Watch it on YouTube: https://outliyr.com/247-video Full episode show notes: outliyr.com/247 Connect with Nick on social media Instagram Twitter (X) YouTube LinkedIn Easy ways to support Subscribe Leave an Apple Podcast review Suggest a guest Do you have questions, thoughts, or feedback for us? Let me know in the show notes above and one of us will get back to you! Be an Outliyr, Nick