Jason Hairston of KUIU passed away today

[johnsd16]

So sad. Sounds like an impulsive event which can be seen with CTE. Feel for his kids and wife.

 

[eamyrick]

My boys will not be playing football/boxing. My grandfather and uncle played college and semi pro ball and both had extreme emotional issues.

 

[Mike7]

Really sad...such a talented, driven guy clearly. I wish the best for his family. As far as CTE in general, there seems to be a lot more that they don't know than they do about this condition at this point, and as usual, the media gives very little context in their reporting.

 

[10bands]

Having trouble wrapping my mind around this. I googled his name this evening because a friend and I were talking and we weren't sure if he was involved in Sitka. I couldn't believe what I was reading so I went to his site next and then here.

A year and a half ago he came here with a show room in a trailer so I went to check out the packs because I really needed something better but didn't want to spend hundreds on something I'd never seen in person. While trying one on he came up and personally adjusted it to fit me and we talked a bit. I wore that pack, with a couple sand bags in it, in and around that trailer for probably 45 minutes. I ended up ordering one and it has changed the way I hunt.

For years I would get neck and shoulder pains from packs that would prevent me from hunting the way I wanted to. Last season I was blessed to carry out both a deer and an elk with that Icon Pro and this past Labor Day weekend I wore it for 5 days straight. I could not have done that two years ago.

I am very thankful for Jason Hairston and what he created and am very sorry that he is gone.

 

[Jardo]

I feel bad for the family too but I’m also curious about what this will mean for The Kuiu operation? Is this going to be a viable business moving forward? Will they have difficulty without Jason or is he just there as a figurehead?

Anybody have any inside information on how this will affect Kuius business and development of new gear and products? What about warranty? Was Jason the brains or did he have a good management team that can take revolutionary products to market without him at the helm?

Seems the business was still somewhat new and vulnerable.

 

[PAhunter58]

Been on the side here, reading everyone's messages regarding Jason. Very sad but greatful that everyone has shared their feelings regarding him and his family. For those that don't know about CTE, Jason, his family and I'm sure his doctors had noticed the symptoms that mirrored CTE. CTE can only be confirmed after death with testing on the brain. As a former football player, I played defensive back in college, I know of multiple concussions I had (3-4) that were diagnosed by doctors and or medical staff. The problem then was few medical people neither understood the effects or were trained in any protocols in how to confirm or treat. I'm now 60 and when I played it was the norm for coaches or medical staff to crack open an ammonia capsule and shove it in your face. After a few minutes you were told your ok and get back in there. To this day I remember one instance where I was in the huddle getting the next defensive call, I looked at the clock and half a quarter had passed and I didn't recall the last 7 minutes of the game. Scared the shit out of me. I had to watch the game film the next day to see what happened in those 7 minutes of my life that I had lost. To this day I can ride anything that goes in a circle. If I am on my lawn tractor and turn to quickly, I get so dizzy I almost can pass out and even vomit. I do experience depression at times mostly caused by work issues. But are these issues part of a deeper underlying cause, I do not know. I cannot even imagine what Jason was going through. Advanced stages of this disease must be hell. After reading all this, it numbs me to wonder what his family is going through. I own both Sitka and KUIU gear. Every time I put any piece on, it will have a different meaning. To understand someone like Jason Hairston living his dream and his nighmares at the same time, it pains my heart and scares me. I apologise for the rambling. I appreciate everyone's feelings for Jason, his accomplishments and now his family. God Bless them. And please, everyone have a safe hunting season.

 

[GraveyardNRSE]

I think KUIU will remain just as strong and probably gain even more customers after this. Jason I’m sure was huge in product development but he probably had some close executives or his development team that all worked together for new products. Reading the people article it seems he’s had memory issues for some time. So, that tells me that some other people behind the scenes were also responsible for product. Moments like this will either break a company or make it come together and keep pushing. I foresee the company getting stronger and doing just as great in his vision and passion.

 

[RosinBag]

Kuiu has a very strong core group of people. I have no doubt Jason developed the people he worked with to carry on his ideas and I would suspect the business will move forward well, although please give them a little time to adjust to this huge loss.

 

[Broomd]

Jason Hairston'''s Wife Speaks Out About CTE Following His Suicide | PEOPLE.com

 

[MuleyFever]

I feel bad for the family too but I’m also curious about what this will mean for The Kuiu operation? Is this going to be a viable business moving forward? Will they have difficulty without Jason or is he just there as a figurehead?

Anybody have any inside information on how this will affect Kuius business and development of new gear and products? What about warranty? Was Jason the brains or did he have a good management team that can take revolutionary products to market without him at the helm?

Seems the business was still somewhat new and vulnerable.

I don't know why they would not be viable. Jason had many people working with him and I would be surprised if they could not do their jobs without him. Jason also sold 23% of the company last year so I imagine there is some outside influence to help with management/development.

Very sad situation. That article in people really was a sad read.

 

[gauge]

I don't know how many here follow rodeo, but Canadian bull rider Ty Pozzobon took his life last year at the age of 25. It was confirmed after his death that he had CTE.
Obviously football gets a lot of CTE attention, but it can be a problem in other sports. I know many people are skeptical of the effects of this disease because it is so hard to understand, but it needs to be addressed more often. With so many kids playing high contact sports, why is this not being studied like other diseases?
It makes you think twice about the activates your kids are involved in. It becomes a fine line of, what is over protection and what is smart parenting. If your child has a passion for riding rough stock or playing football, at what point do we draw the line?

 

[RosinBag]

For any of the more local guys, here is the information on Jason’s funeral service.

 

[Huntindog45]

My boys will not be playing football/boxing. My grandfather and uncle played college and semi pro ball and both had extreme emotional issues.

i agree, I I played football but did my best to steer my boys away from it. Frankly it interfered too much with fall activities anyway. I have friends who have kids already dealing with concussion issues. I actually see a time in our future when youth tackle football no longer exists. Law suits will eventually end it. The liability insurance schools will be forced to carry will be far too expensive.

 

[Broomd]

I've been saying for about four years that football as we know it shouldn't exist. I know some will deem this extreme or politically correct, but frankly that has nothing to do with it. The class action suit the NFL is going to face will be stunning, it's just a matter of time. And to think that this stuff actually starts in high school and college? Good lord.
The NFL football of 2030 will likely be some incarnation of flag football. Time will tell.

And it's not just football. Any sport with extreme head trauma should be ended or completely modified. I watched an interview with Dale Earnhart Jr. yesterday. After about 25 concussions, he has really battled CTE problems so this stuff isn't limited to the obvious sports.

 

[Farmingdale's Finest]

When I first saw that he had passed on Instagram the first thing I thought was that he had fallen off a cliff while hunting. I then read rumors of suicide while hunting and while surprised I thought of CTE because of what I had read about the injuries that he had that caused his retirement from the NFL.

I played football and wrestled both in HS and college. I can remember having 2 or 3 concussions in that time. But I have literally had hundreds of stingers in my neck and arms from tackles and take downs. I played defensive tackle and was also heavyweight wrestler. Having never heard of CTE before a few years ago I thought my forgetfulness and emotional swings were part of getting older I am not so sure anymore. I have at one time or another had all of the published signs. I am grateful now that my elder son never showed any interest in the sport and my other son who had D1 size and speed decided not to play after a very bad knee injury that had him in the hospital his junior year for a week after the 3rd game of the year.

After knowing what I do about brain injuries from football as well as other injuries that I have experienced in my youth that have come back to haunt me as I get older I am not sure I could ever encourage anyone else to play. The crazy part is my wife asks if I would do it again and I still say yes because I just absolutely loved playing! I don’t understand how I could be so conflicted about it.

God bless Jason and his family!


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[Kilboars]

Very Sad. I met I guy at the airport last night coming back from my MT hunt and he said he was suppose to hunt with Jason next week.

 

[daddie63]

Thanks Rosinbag I appreciate the info on his service. Even though I just met him the 1 time I feel like going to his service is important.

 

[kravguy]

I've been saying for about four years that football as we know it shouldn't exist. I know some will deem this extreme or politically correct, but frankly that has nothing to do with it. The class action suit the NFL is going to face will be stunning, it's just a matter of time. And to think that this stuff actually starts in high school and college? Good lord.
The NFL football of 2030 will likely be some incarnation of flag football. Time will tell.

And it's not just football. Any sport with extreme head trauma should be ended or completely modified. I watched an interview with Dale Earnhart Jr. yesterday. After about 25 concussions, he has really battled CTE problems so this stuff isn't limited to the obvious sports.

I don't think this is limited to high school, college level and pro's. I started playing football when I was 8 years old. From the very first day of tackling you were taught to lead with your head. That the helmet will protect you. We did tackling drills called "head on" where one kid would lay with the football, the other 10 yards away. When the whistle blew, you got up as fast as possible and ran staight into each other. Our first helmets were just pads inside that you had to break to form around your head. Quite a few kids would quit due to how bad it hurt.

Everyone talks about guys being bigger, stronger, faster in the NFL every year. What about the young kids that are running as fast as they can, hitting head on, while their brains are still developing? No one ever mentions youth football. It's always a guy from the NFL has been found to have CTE.



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[FLAK]

I played Football from 3rd - 12th grade. 2 Concussions, 1 slipped vertebrae.
It was a great time but now I'm paying the price. If I had to do it over again
I would have just spent more time in the woods / on the water.
This was back in the early 80's, the mentality was different. They wouldn't let us have
water during practice to toughen us up. I think about it now and it just blows my mind.

 

[Huntindog45]

I don't think this is limited to high school, college level and pro's. I started playing football when I was 8 years old. From the very first day of tackling you were taught to lead with your head. That the helmet will protect you. We did tackling drills called "head on" where one kid would lay with the football, the other 10 yards away. When the whistle blew, you got up as fast as possible and ran staight into each other. Our first helmets were just pads inside that you had to break to form around your head. Quite a few kids would quit due to how bad it hurt.

Everyone talks about guys being bigger, stronger, faster in the NFL every year. What about the young kids that are running as fast as they can, hitting head on, while their brains are still developing? No one ever mentions youth football. It's always a guy from the NFL has been found to have CTE.



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i believe youth football at the pre-highschool level is the absolute worst. At least at the high school level the coaches start to get some good training. the pop-warner or pee wee or any other name youth football is so often coached by a bunch of jack booted ex-jocks that really have no specialized training at all. I have watched a few practices around the country and was just horrified. I was having some cocktails with a few high school football coaches once and easily half of them said no way in hell would they let their kids play football at that level just for that reason. I said it earlier and I see a time not so far from now when youth football is gone. Lawsuits and insurance premiums will eventually kill it. It is kind of sad because I love football. But all the reasons to not play sure outweigh the reasons to play in my mind. Heck I have got to hang around quite a few ex professional athletes and I have heard more than one ex NFL player say that if they had it back knowing what they know now they would not have played. This includes one of the biggest names ever to play the game. He is a little older than me (47) can hardly walk and forgets almost everything. I wont say his name out of respect but I will say he is one of the greatest of all time. he flat out did not let his kids even entertain the idea of playing football.