The following is a transcript of a report by medical editor Marilyn Brooks that first aired Jan. 18, 2007, on WTAE Channel 4 Action News at 5 p.m.

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It's long been known that football players and other athletes have their brains rattled, but it was always thought a little rest would put them right.

New findings by a leading expert in forensic pathology just turned those theories upside down.

When the Philadelphia Eagle's Andre Waters killed himself last November, no one could understand why it happened, but a neuropathologist in Pittsburgh got the chance to examine Waters' brain tissue, and what he found is rocking the sports world.

Between 1984 and 1995, Waters was a hard-hitting safety, but Waters was also hit hard, which caused brain-damaging concussions, some of which he may not have realized

"One thing we've learned about concussion is you don't have to be knocked out to have one," said Dr. Mark Lovell.

After looking at Waters' brain tissue, Dr. Bennet Omalu is positive repeated concussions caused continued brain tissue damage that led to Waters' depression, dementia and subsequent suicide.

Waters was 44.

"Over the years, the brain cells to progressively lose the ability to process specific normal proteins in the brain," said Omalu.

Those proteins accumulate, become abnormal, and toxic slowly killing brain cells over years.

Omalu's findings of Waters' brain deterioration have not been corroborated nor have they been reviewed. However, findings very much like that have been reviewed and well-established in the boxing field, and the boxer Muhammed Ali is a perfect example.

For most of his career, Ali could float like a butterfly and sting like a bee, but he also was repeatedly struck and his brain suffered. Now 65, he's barely able to talk because of concussion related Parkinson's disease that struck in midlife. It doesn't happen to every athlete, so Omalu suggested studies to identify players at greater risk, so they can be removed from the game or treated early.

"Like in Alzheimer's, we have drugs that impede the progression of the disease, or you could even give prophylactic drugs, but there has to be some type of research," said Omalu.

It's not just the professionals though. The findings wave a very red warning flag to parents. Of the more than 300,000 sport-related concussions every year, 62,000 happen in high school contact sports.

A high school athlete who suffers just two concussions is nine times more likely to experience disorientation, confusion, amnesia and uncoordinated hand-eye movements if they suffer a third concussion.

With Omalu's findings, parents who think organized sports are a must might want to give them a second thought.

It's not very likely that athletes will stop playing for the NFL, high school or even college, but it might be wise for parents and coaches alike to watch for the signs of repeated concussions, headaches, loss of cognitive function, unexplained emotional outbursts, forgetfulness and depression.

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