'You were and will continue to be an inspiration': Donald Trump Jr shares heartfelt tribute to former NFL player and CTE sufferer Jason Hairston, 47, who died just DAYS after their hunting trip together

  • Jason Hairston passed away unexpectedly on Sunday at the age of 47
  • He had returned from a hunting trip in Canada with Donald Trump Jr days earlier
  • Hairston played football at the University of California and signed with the 49ers and Broncos before starting the apparel company Kuiu, which is worth $50M 
  • He and Don Jr became friends years ago through the company, and the First Son helped get Hairston a position at the Department of the Interior
  • In 2016 revealed that he was suffering from CTE, a result of frequent blows to the head that affects a large number of football players 
  • Hairston is survived by wife Kirstyn and their two young children, Cash and Coco

Donald Trump Jr shared a touching tribute on Instagram to his friend Jason Hairston, who passed away unexpectedly Sunday at age 47

Donald Trump Jr shared a touching tribute on Instagram to his friend Jason Hairston, who passed away unexpectedly Sunday at age 47

Donald Trump Jr has shared a touching tribute to his friend Jason Hairston, who passed away aged 47 just days after the pair returned from a hunting trip in Canada this week. 

On Instagram Thursday, Don Jr wrote: 'Jason, I have no words. I will always remember our adventures and sharing a campfire with you. They will be some of my fondest experiences in the outdoors.

'You were and will continue to be an inspiration to all outdoorsmen and women for generations to come. Thanks for the friendship and the memories buddy. I’m going to miss you. R.I.P.'  

Hairston was a star football player at the University of California, Davis, before going on to play with the San Francisco 49ers and later with the Denver Broncos.

The father-of-two had been open about the effects of his football career, revealing in a 2016 interview: 'I played linebacker, and the way I played the game, I led with my head. I played the way they tell us not to play now. I have all the symptoms of CTE.'

His biggest success came after his NFL career when he founded the hunting apparel company Kuiu, which had grown into a $50million business at the time of his death.

That business also introduced Hairston to his good friend and fellow hunter Don Jr, who had just been on a trip in Canada with the entrepreneur hunting sheep.

Hairston is survived by his wife Kirstyn and their two young children, Cash and Coco. 

Hairston and Don Jr had returned from a hunting trip in Canada just days before the father-of-two's unexpected death. Don Jr shared the photo above in his heartfelt memorial post

Hairston and Don Jr had returned from a hunting trip in Canada just days before the father-of-two's unexpected death. Don Jr shared the photo above in his heartfelt memorial post

Huge loss: Hairston passed away a few days after hunting with Donald Trump Jr in Canada (pair above in August while hunting sheep)

The pair have been friends for many years thanks to their mutual love of hunting for sport

Hairston, a former NFL player who had been open about suffering from CTE, is survived by his wife Kirstyn and their two young children, Cash and Coco

Hairston, a former NFL player who had been open about suffering from CTE, is survived by his wife Kirstyn and their two young children, Cash and Coco

Hairston's brother Adam thanked Don Jr his kind words on Instagram, mentioning the trip the two men recently took together.

It was a successful trip this year for Don Jr, Hairston and their friends, who managed to catch a number of Great Northern Pike and two big-horned sheep during their hunt.

Matt Forsyth, who was once agains joining Don Jr on the trip, posed with the slain sheep for a photo on Instagram, writing: 'One of our two stud rams from last week! Congrats to @jasonmhairston on his BEAUTIFUL sheep!! Trip of a lifetime!'

Hairston also posted a photo with the other sheep, stating: 'We covered a lot of miles over 6 hard days before my Guide Brad Alexander found this heavy 10 year old ram bedded alone in a basin.'

In his last photo on Instagram he was seen heading off to hunt with his son and father.    

The last known photo of Hairston was posted by one of his many fans to social media, with the man writing: 'Sorry for your loss. I was with [Hairston] on SEP 2 in Prudhoe Bay. Great guy.'

The photo shows Hairston with his son and two fans in the northernmost part of Alaska, which is one of the few portions of the United States that is actually located in the Arctic Circle.

That was Sunday, just a few days before his sudden death. 

One last trip: The first call she had on September 4 with the pair went fine, but two hours later her son called to say that his father was acting 'really different' (Hairston with Cash, his father Mike, and a friend as he headed up into Alaska for his last trip days before his death)

One last trip: On his last trip he was also joined by his own son, Cash, and his father Mike, as he headed up into northern Canada and Alaska

Final look: The last known photo of Hairston was posted by one of his many fans to social media, with the man writing: 'Sorry for your loss. I was with [Hairston] on SEP 2 in Prudhoe Bay. Great guy.' (above)

The last known photo of Hairston was posted by one of his many fans to social media, with the man writing: 'Sorry for your loss. I was with [Hairston] on SEP 2 in Prudhoe Bay. Great guy'

Don Jr reacted to his friend's death on Instagram, writing: 'Jason, I have no words. I will always remember our adventures and sharing a campfire with you. They will be some of my fondest experiences in the outdoors'

Don Jr reacted to his friend's death on Instagram, writing: 'Jason, I have no words. I will always remember our adventures and sharing a campfire with you. They will be some of my fondest experiences in the outdoors'

Hairston is the latest NFL star to possibly lose his life due to CTE, which was also found in former league players including Aaron Hernandez, Junior Seau and Frank Gifford. 

A person cannot be diagnosed with CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) while they are alive, even if they do suffer from clear symptoms.

This is due tot he fact that he only way to diagnose their CTE is in a post-mortem examination.

One conducted by Boston University in 2015 found CTE in 87 out of 91 players. 

He spoke about his symptoms in a 2016 interview with CNBC's Squawk Box, noting that he was pleased to see the league finally acknowledge that there was a link between CTE and football-related concussions.

Hairston seemed to be enjoying his success and hard work over the past year, and in July took a trip to Paris with his wife to celebrate his birthday.

He shared a photo of himself and his wife at the Four Seasons on that trip, writing: 'Celebrating my 47th with my best friend and soulmate in Paris France tonight.'

Kirstyn is currently the vice president of Kuiu, and could take over the company in the wake of her husband's death.

Baller: Hairston was a star football player at the University of California , Davis, who went on to sign with the San Fransisco 49ers and later play for the Denver Broncos

Baller: Hairston was a star football player at the University of California , Davis, who went on to sign with the San Fransisco 49ers and later play for the Denver Broncos

Success: He played football at the University of California and signed with the 49ers and Broncos before starting the apparel company Kuiu, which was worth $50M earlier this year (above with President Trump in September 2016)

Success: He played football at the University of California and signed with the 49ers and Broncos before starting the apparel company Kuiu, which was worth $50M (above with President Trump in September 2016)

Work event: Hairston and son with the Pences at the 2017 White House Holiday party (above)

Work event: Hairston and son with the Pences at the 2017 White House Holiday party (above)

Best of buds: Don Jr was torn up about the loss as he remembered his friend on Instagram (pair above in August)

Best of buds: Don Jr was torn up about the loss as he remembered his friend on Instagram (pair above in August)

Hairston's friendship with Don Jr also got him a position with the federal government at the Department of the Interior, where he served as a liaison between the agency's head Ryan Zinke and sportsmen's groups on issues such as conservation and public lands.

That role came after Hairston worked to drum up support among sportsmen's groups for Trump during the campaign, and it was Don Jr who suggested his friend for the position.

Hairston said when news of his position became public that he was actually Don Jr's  second choice for the position.

'It's really a role he was hoping to fill, but he can't because of conflict of interest,' he told Politico.  

BRAIN INJURIES IN SPORTS: FAST FACTS ABOUT CTE RISKS, TESTS, SYMPTOMS AND RESEARCH

As athletes of all sports speak out about their brain injury fears, we run through the need-to-know facts about risks, symptoms, tests and research.

1. Concussion is a red herring: Big hits are not the problem, ALL head hits cause damage

All sports insist they are doing more to prevent concussions in athletes to protect their brain health.  

However, Boston University (the leading center on this topic) published a groundbreaking study in January to demolish the obsession with concussions.

Concussions, they found, are the red herring: it is not a 'big hit' that triggers the beginning of a neurodegenerative brain disease. Nor does a 'big hit' makes it more likely. 

In fact, it is the experience of repeated subconcussive hits over time that increases the likelihood of brain disease. 

In a nutshell: any tackle or header in a game - or even in practice - increases the risk of a player developing a brain disease.  

2. What is the feared disease CTE?

Head hits can cause various brain injuries, including ALS (the disease Stephen Hawking had), Parkinson's, and dementia. 

But CTE is one that seems to be particularly associated with blows to the head (while the others occur commonly in non-athletes). 

CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) is a degenerative brain disease that is caused by repeated hits to the head.

It is very similar to Alzheimer's in the way that it starts with inflammation and a build-up of tau proteins in the brain. 

These clumps of tau protein built up in the frontal lobe, which controls emotional expression and judgment (similar to dementia).

This interrupts normal functioning and blood flow in the brain, disrupting and killing nerve cells.

Gradually, these proteins multiply and spread, slowly killing other cells in the brain. Over time, this process starts to trigger symptoms in the sufferer, including confusion, depression and dementia.

By the later stages (there are four stages of pathology), the tau deposits expand from the frontal lobe (at the top) to the temporal lobe (on the sides). This affects the amygdala and the hippocampus, which controls emotion and memory.  

3. What are the symptoms?

Sufferers and their families have described them turning into 'ghosts'. 

CTE affects emotion, memory, spatial awareness, and anger control. 

Symptoms include:

  • Suicidal thoughts
  • Uncontrollable rage
  • Irritability
  • Forgetting names, people, things (like dementia)
  • Refusal to eat or talk 

4. Can sufferers be diagnosed during life?

No. While a person may suffer from clear CTE symptoms, the only way to diagnose their CTE is in a post-mortem examination.

More than 3,000 former athletes and military veterans have pledged to donate their brains to the Concussion Legacy Foundation for CTE research. 

Meanwhile, there are various studies on current and former players to identify biomarkers that could detect CTE.  

Donald Trump Jr shares heartfelt tribute to former NFL player and hunting companion Jason Hairston

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