New study estimates 75% of deceased ex-NFL players had CTE
A study published in JAMA Network Open by a Boston-based research team estimates that roughly three-quarters of former NFL players who died between 2008 and 2023 showed evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The analysis drew on records from more than 2,300 deceased players who spent an average of five years in the league, and found that among the nearly 400 whose brains were donated for examination, 93.5% tested positive for the disease. Researchers described the findings as the first effort to estimate CTE prevalence across all former NFL players who died in that period, not just those who donated their brains, and noted that the rate far exceeded the less than 1% found in community-based brain banks. The study's authors cautioned that the presence of CTE-related brain changes does not guarantee a person will develop dementia or noticeable symptoms, and expressed hope for future diagnostic and treatment advances.
Why it matters
For coaches: Coaching staffs at all levels may face renewed scrutiny and pressure around practice methods and protocols tied to head-impact exposure.
For media: Broadcasters and publishers covering the NFL will need to grapple with this study's implications for the sport's long-term public perception and viewership.
For athletes: Current and former NFL players and their families face new data suggesting CTE is far more prevalent in the league population than previously understood from donated-brain studies alone.
Read the full story at Yahoo Sports
Sources
- Yahoo Sports: New study estimates 75% of deceased ex-NFL players had brain disease CTE