When Noah Green, a 25-year-old with no known history of violence, crashed his car into a barricade at the Capitol building in Washington DC, killing one police officer, before lunging at others with a knife, his own family were grappling for answers.
“My heart just sank,” his mother, Mazie Green, tells me. It was a murder, which, on the face of it, had nothing to do with American football.
But three years on and speaking publicly for the first time since that day, Mazie says she now believes it has everything to do with American football.
Noah Green’s car after he rammed into a barricade at the Capitol building in Washington DC
Green was shot dead by responding police, and in the days after the killing the FBI recommended that Mazie submit Noah’s brain to be analysed.
The diagnosis came back months later, indicating Green had stage one Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, more commonly known as CTE.
It’s a brain disease caused by repetitive blows to the head and it afflicts participants of contact sport, including American football. Symptoms include aggression, paranoia and problems controlling impulses.
Noah Green with mother Mazie and his father
Noah and Mazie
“Noah took big hits,” Mazie says. At Alleghany High School in rural Virginia, Green had played in defence and was voted most valuable player and he later played for Christopher Newport University.
Teammates recall him being dependable and good-natured but Mazie says she noticed changes after he suffered several head injuries.
“He wanted to be tough, to prove himself,” Mazie says, “But there were changes. He would start wearing blankets around his head and I thought it was a teenage thing, but it was because he was so sensitive to the light. Then he would lose his keys and he forgot how to cook, prepare his meals.
“After that, he started with these really bad headaches. One day he said ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with me, mum, I’ve lost 20 pounds…. I feel like I need to leave. I’ve got to get out of the country. They’re going to kill me, the FBI, they’re going to kill me.’
“He was paranoid.”
Mazie Green
Officer William Evans, the police officer who Noah Green killed, left behind two young children. I ask Mazie if she has any message for his family.
“Officer Evans should not have died that day,” she says, “Noah should not have died that day. Someone has to take the responsibility for telling parents what to do if something’s just not quite right with those kids that are out there playing football for entertainment.”
Shannon Terranova, the former spouse of Officer Evans and mother of his two young children, said: “I want to be mindful of all who are impacted by this real-life horror; but it is difficult for me to comprehend any rationalisation of what happened to Billy and the events that led up to his death. I appreciate the efforts in bringing awareness to the long-term implications of bodily trauma caused by sports injuries. However, nothing can justify what Billy’s co-workers and family experienced, saw, and felt on April 2 2021, and every day since.”
Christopher Newport University declined to comment on Noah Green’s case. Alleghany High School did not respond to Sky News’s request for comment.
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How CTE is diagnosed
The casket of US Capitol Police officer William “Billy” Evans. Pic: AP
The question over whether CTE is linked to violent crime has come to the fore after numerous incidents of violent ex-football players.
Former San Francisco 49ers star Phillip Adams shot dead six people in an explosion of violence in 2021.
He murdered doctor Robert Lesslie, his wife, Barbara Lesslie, and two of their grandchildren, Adah, 9, and Noah, 5 at their home in South Carolina.
He also killed James Lewis and Robert Shook, who were working on an air conditioning unit at the house. Analysis of Adams’ brain showed he had severe CTE.
Phillip Adams. Pic: AP
Pic: AP
Kellen Winslow, another former NFL player, was convicted of multiple rapes in 2021.
His lawyer argued for his sentence to be reduced because of what he says was head trauma suffered on the football field. That potential mitigating factor was rejected by a judge.
Kellen Winslow. Pic: AP
Winslow at his sentencing hearing in March 2021. Pic: AP
Most experts say it is hard to say definitively what motivates someone to commit a crime, but the symptoms CTE causes could all contribute. More research into the causes of CTE and what factors might make some people more susceptible is under way.
Sky News was given access to the national sports brain bank in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where former professional and amateur American footballers are being urged to donate their brains for study.
Inside the histology laboratory, Dr Julia Kofler slices open a brain with a knife to show me the cross-section.
Brains examined by Dr Julia Kofler for CTE
It is impossible to diagnose CTE with the naked eye so she takes a tiny sample of the brain tissue and loads it onto a slide so it can be analysed under the microscope.
I ask if she thinks there is a link between CTE and violent crime. “It’s really difficult to draw any conclusions about what motivates someone to commit a crime based just on their pathology,” she says, “but we certainly know that neurodegenerative diseases can cause all sorts of different behavioural changes and changes in executive function and judgement, so it certainly could have contributed.”
Dr Julia Kofler
‘We watched him lose himself’
Karen Kinzle Zegel is one of those fighting for more research. Her son, Patrick Risha, had CTE and died by suicide aged 32. He had played American football throughout his childhood and at university.
“We watched him over 10 years, sadly lose himself, lose his dignity,” she says, “He was paranoid, he was argumentative.
“One time there was an incident with him and he said a homeless guy attacked him in Pittsburgh and he broke his hand punching this person. The rage he had was definitely scary.”
Photos of Patrick Risha
Patrick Risha had CTE and died aged 32 after taking his own life
Through her organisation Stop CTE, Karen is campaigning for the brains of those who commit mass violence to be analysed for traumatic injury.
“Every time we’re looking at the symptoms like ‘they lost a job, they, broke up with their girlfriend’.
“Everybody wants to know why, why would someone take another person’s life? But if you’ve dealt with somebody whose brain became unwired you see the lack of empathy. They don’t care about other people, sadly.
“We’re not going back to the root cause, which could be a damaged brain.”
Patrick Risha’s mother, Karen Kinzle Zegel
Concerns about brain injuries have contributed to the growth of flag football, a lesser contact sport which means fewer big hits and not an obvious danger.
But the popularity of the NFL as a spectator sport is enduring. Last week’s Super Bowl final was the most-watched TV event in American history.
But for its stars, the damage may already been done. The human cost of the richest sport league in the world is far too difficult to count.
Sky News contacted the NFL for comment about our report. In response, the NFL provided details of the funding they are giving into CTE-related research, mental health support and the physical safety measures they say they are taking in the sport.
Investigators say they are looking into reports a large flock of birds was seen before a deadly helicopter crash in New York City.
The helicopter’s pilot and a family of five Spanish tourists, including three children, were killed in the crash in the Hudson river at around 3.17pm on Thursday.
Agustin Escobar, a Siemens executive, and his wife Camprubi Montal had booked the helicopter tour to celebrate their eight-year-old child’s birthday.
A senior New York City official named the pilot as Sean Johnson to NBC New York. He was 36, according to the Jersey City Mayor’s office.
Giving an update on the investigation into the crash, National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy said no initial cause had been determined.
Asked about reports a large flock of birds was seen in the area shortly before the crash, she said: “We are aware of those reports, we discussed it this morning.
“It’s something we are looking into. What I would say to the public is that if something struck you as different or made you pause, or it crossed your mind that you might want to share with our investigators, there is no downside in sharing that information with us.”
The helicopter was submerged upside down in the Hudson. Pic: Reuters
A crane lifted out the wreckage on Thursday evening. Pic: AP
Ms Homendy said divers are still recovering parts of the helicopter from the Hudson – and revealed the pilot had logged more than 780 hours of flight time.
Earlier, New York Police commissioner Jessica Tisch said divers had recovered all those on board from the helicopter, which was upside down in the water.
“Four victims were pronounced dead on scene and two more were removed to local area hospitals, where sadly both succumbed to their injuries,” she said.
The Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the news “devastating”.
“An unimaginable tragedy. I share the grief of the victims’ loved ones at this heartbreaking time,” he wrote on X.
Rotor blade ‘flew off’
The aircraft was on a tourist flight of Manhattan, run by the New York Helicopters company.
Witnesses described seeing the main rotor blade flying off moments before it dropped out of the sky.
Agustin Escobar and Merce Camprubi Montal.
Pic: Facebook
Lesly Camacho, a worker at a restaurant along the river in Hoboken, said she saw the helicopter spinning uncontrollably before it slammed into the water.
“There was a bunch of smoke coming out. It was spinning pretty fast, and it landed in the water really hard,” she said.
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Witness saw ‘parts flying off’ helicopter
Another witness said “the chopper blade flew off”.
“I don’t know what happened to the tail, but it just straight up dropped,” Avi Rakesh told Sky’s US partner, NBC News.
Video on social media showed parts of the Bell 206 helicopter tumbling through the air and landing in the river.
Mafalda Carvalho, from Brazil, told Sky News she took the “exact same helicopter tour” during a trip to New York just three weeks ago.
Seeing news of the crash, she said she felt “really emotional and reflective because the truth is we never know when it may be our turn… I saw the news that a whole family had lost their lives, it really made me stop and think”.
She added: “Helicopters in general aren’t the safest means of transport, right? There is always some level of risk. I enjoy, but it’s very dangerous. We never know when something might go wrong.”
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New York mayor confirms six dead
The crash happened near Pier 40. Pic: AP
The crash happened close to Pier 40 and the Holland tunnel, which links lower Manhattan’s Tribeca neighbourhood with Jersey City to its west.
Tracking service Flight Radar 24 published what it said was the helicopter’s route, with the aircraft appearing to be in the sky for 15 minutes before the crash.
Agustin Escobar.
Pic: Europa Press/AP
Thursday’s incident comes less than three months after 67 people died when an army helicopter and American Airlines jet collided over the Potomac River in Washington DC.
Donald Trump has had his annual medical check-up, although the US president has consistently chosen to keep basic facts about his health secret.
There is no guarantee the public will be told about the health of a man who, at the age of 78, was the oldest in US history to be sworn in as president.
“I have never felt better, but nevertheless, these things must be done!” Mr Trump posted on his social media site.
He will be examined at Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre in Washington DC, but he will have leeway over what details are released.
If history is repeated, his latest physical examination is likely to produce a flattering report that is scarce on details.
It represents the first potential opportunity to discover the status of Mr Trump’s health since an assassination attempt against him in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July last year.
Donald Trump was defiant after a failed assassination attempt in July. Pic: AP
At that time, Ronny Jackson, a staunch supporter who served as his White House doctor, wrote a memo describing a gunshot wound to Mr Trump’s right ear. He once joked that the president could live to be 200 if he had a healthier diet.
Despite Mr Trump promising in a CBS interview last August that he would “very gladly” release his medical records, he never did.
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Trump admits ‘transition’ costs
During President Biden’s time in office, medical reports have typically included vital statistics like height, weight, heart rate, blood pressure and cholesterol results, along with any medical symptoms. Other checks have included the vital organs and a neurological assessment.
Mr Trump has offered few details about his health over the years, despite repeatedly questioning the physical and mental capacity of his predecessor Mr Biden, who is three years older.
Trump contracted COVID-19 in 2020. Pic: Reuters
In 2020, President Trump contracted COVID-19. After his recovery, more details emerged that he had been sicker than he had let on.
In November 2023, Mr Trump’s doctor released a letter to coincide with Mr Biden’s 81st birthday, saying Mr Trump was in “excellent” physical and mental health.
Read more:
Meet Donald Trump’s doctors
Key questions about Trump’s health
It said that his “physical exams were well within the normal range and his cognitive exams were exceptional”, adding he had “reduced his weight”.
But there were a lot of details missing, including weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels, or the results of any tests.
Trump takes anti-baldness pills
During his first term in office, his first medical check-up as president included details of his daily anti-baldness pills. But subsequent medical examinations were less transparent.
In November 2019, Mr Trump underwent a medical examination which was not revealed until three days later. He would only say it was a “very routine physical”.
A year later, an examination found he was technically obese and was taking medication to treat high cholesterol.
Before Mr Trump first ran for office in 2015, the results of a medical examination were described as “astonishingly excellent” by his personal doctor.
Dr Harold Bornstein stated at the time that Mr Trump would be the “healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.”
The doctor later admitted to CNN that Mr Trump had dictated those words to him.
US
Head of US base in Greenland, Colonel Susan Meyers, sacked after criticising JD Vance’s remarks during his visit
The head of the US military base in Greenland has been fired for criticising Washington’s agenda for the Arctic island.
Colonel Susan Meyers distanced herself from remarks made by vice president JD Vance when he visited the Pituffik base on 28 March.
Ms Meyers, commander of the 821st Space Base Group, emailed all base personnel on 31 March, days after Mr Vance’s visit, Military.com said.
Colonel Susan Meyers (L) with US vice president JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance (2L) at the Pituffik Space Base in Greenland in March. Pic: AP
She told them she “spent the weekend thinking about Friday’s visit – the actions taken, the words spoken, and how it must have affected each of you”.
“I do not presume to understand current politics, but what I do know is the concerns of the US administration discussed by vice president Vance on Friday are not reflective of Pituffik Space Base.”
The US Space Force said in a statement issued late on Thursday that commanders “are expected to adhere to the highest standards of conduct, especially as it relates to remaining non-partisan in the performance of their duties”.
Mr Vance condemned Denmark’s oversight of the island and told Greenlanders they would be better off as part of the US.
US President Donald Trump has called for the territory to be absorbed by Washington, saying it is essential for both national and international security, and refusing to rule out using military force to acquire it.
As well as having staff from the US and Greenland, the base employs Danes and Canadians, according to Military.com.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said on X that actions which “subvert President Trump’s agenda will not be tolerated at the Department of Defence”.
The dismissal of Ms Meyers, base commander since July, was welcomed by Republican senator Eric Schmitt, who praised the “quick action” of defence secretary Pete Hegseth.
Another Republican senator, Jim Banks, accused Colonel Meyers of trying to “politicise the Space Force”.
Greenland is a territory of Denmark, and while there is support for independence among Greenlanders, polls suggest there is little support for US annexation, just as there was little appetite for the visit of the vice president and his wife.
Read more:
How Greenlanders view Trump’s threats
Why does Trump want Greenland?
Arctic plans a challenge for Europe
Mr Vance criticised Denmark, claiming that incursions by China and Russia had put the territory at risk.
He told Copenhagen it had “not done a good job by the people of Greenland. You have underinvested in the people of Greenland, and you have underinvested in the security of this incredible, beautiful landmass”.
His remarks were widely condemned.
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