New study finds CTE in at least 24.5% of former NFL players who died 2016–2021

The study and its findings

Researchers examining 878 former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 found evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head impacts. Of 235 players whose brains were donated and studied, 215 were diagnosed with CTE. The research, published in the British Medical Journal, calculated a conservative minimum CTE prevalence of 24.5% among all players who died in that window, though the figure could reach as high as 97.7% depending on assumptions about the 643 brains that were not examined.

What CTE is and how it develops

CTE can only be diagnosed after death through autopsy. The disease is degenerative and associated with long-term cognitive decline. Researchers found dementia was common among the brain donors studied. According to Daniel Daneshvar, lead author and associate professor at Harvard Medical School, NFL players have “about a four times higher rate of death from neurodegenerative disease than the general population.” Daneshvar noted that many of the head impacts former players accumulated did not occur in the NFL itself, but rather during college, high school, and youth football, with the cumulative effect elevating CTE risk.

Reactions and calls for action

The NFL Players Association called the findings “a sobering reminder that football carries real risks, and those risks can have lasting consequences for players and their families,” and said the results “should serve as a call to action across the entire football ecosystem.” Researchers have urged the NFL to implement prevention measures to reduce repetitive head impacts across all levels of the sport. Former Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials quoted in reporting on the study characterized the CTE rate as “astoundingly high” and “apocalyptically high,” with one stating, “We never see things that are this dire.” Current OSHA management noted that it does not typically take enforcement action regarding professional athletes.

NFL response and existing measures

The NFL said in a statement: “The NFL continuously strives to make the game of football safer, including by implementing strategies to reduce concussions and head impacts. The NFL remains committed to ensuring that the NFL community has access to a robust — and expanding — set of resources to enhance their physical and mental well being.” The league has taken earlier steps to address head injury concerns, including a 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement that limited the number of contact practices. In 2016, following a class action lawsuit, the NFL agreed to a $1 billion settlement with more than 5,000 former players.

Sources

• BBC Sport
• Yahoo Sports — At least 25% of former NFL players who died from 2016-2021 had CTE, according to new study · At least one in four former NFL players in study suffered from degenerative brain disease CTE
• NBC Sports

Featured photo: Tony Webster via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)