After claiming to be diagnosed with CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), YouTube sensation Jake Paul had retracted his comments. He claimed to have symptoms of it, before going to Twitter to take back his claims.
I wanna retract my comments made about CTE as it relates to me and my medical history.
It’s a very serious condition that I should not have misspoken about.
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) April 16, 2021
The 24-year old is set to face off against MMA and wrestling star Ben Askren on Saturday night in what will be his third boxing match. He defeated former NBA Slam Dunk contest winner Nate Robinson back in November of 2020. Per MMAFighting.com, he commented on the situation.
“It’s a dangerous sport. That’s why when people question my dedication to it, I’m showing up every single day, I’m putting my mental health on the line, my brain is on the line. I’ve gone and gotten brain scans and have early signs of CTE but I love this sport and I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.”
“I’m a fighter and people will see that. Whether it’s after Saturday night or a year from now, they will see that I’m a fighter.”
As for CTE, it is a form of brain degeneration caused by continuous trauma to the head. There is no other particular way that CTE can be diagnosed to a living patient except through an autopsy where tau deposits and other deposits can be seen in the brain.
Doctors are currently researching to see if CTE can be detected while the patients are alive, but no end results have been found as of yet. Despite the controversy, which Paul is no stranger to, he has remained steadfast in his mission to become a bigger name in boxing while collecting views and followers on social media.
“I use it all as gasoline in the gas tank to work harder every single day,” Paul said. “I know that going into this fight and I know that for the last three fights I’ve had everyone wants to see Jake Paul lose. That’s why I work so hard every single day and surround myself with the best team and take this so seriously. Because this fight means everything.”
The Paul-Askren fight will be the main event of a card that will also feature former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir taking on cruiserweight and heavyweight pro boxer, Steve Cunningham, live at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Pay-Per-View.
