A study published in the British Medical Journal on Tuesday provides one of the most comprehensive estimates to date of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) among former National Football League players. Researchers examined death‑certificate data for former players who died between 2016 and 2021 and compared it with the number of brain donors whose brains were later confirmed to have CTE.
Key Findings
Of the 878 former NFL players who died during the six‑year period, 235 families donated the athletes’ brains for research. Among those donors, 215 were diagnosed with CTE, indicating that roughly one in four former players who died in that span had the disease.
The study’s lead author, Dr. Daniel Daneshvar of Mass General Brigham and Harvard Medical School, noted that repeated traumatic brain injuries are a known factor in elevated rates of neurodegenerative disease. He added that former NFL players experience about four times the rate of death from neurodegenerative disease compared with the general population.
Broader Context
CTE is a progressive neurodegenerative condition linked to repeated blows to the head. Symptoms can include memory loss, impulse‑control problems, anxiety, depression and anger issues. The disease can only be diagnosed after death, and it has been found not only in football players but also in athletes from hockey and soccer, soldiers exposed to explosions, and individuals who have suffered domestic violence.
A prior analysis that examined only brain donors reported CTE in 99% of former NFL players who had donated their brains. That study was limited by selection bias, as families who noticed symptoms were more likely to donate. The new research attempted to address that bias by using a broader death‑certificate sample and focusing on the years 2016‑2021, when brain‑donation numbers were highest.
Implications for Player Safety
Daneshvar emphasized that most of the head impacts contributing to CTE occurred before players reached the NFL. “The bulk of the head impacts that these former NFL players experienced didn’t occur at the NFL level. They occurred at the collegiate level, high school level, and in many cases the youth level,” he said.
The study calls for prevention measures that reduce repetitive head impacts across all levels of the sport. Daneshvar suggested that limiting contact practices to less than once per week—a rule already in place under the NFL’s 2020 collective bargaining agreement—could be extended to college, high school, and youth programs.
League Response
An NFL spokesperson reiterated the league’s ongoing efforts to make football safer, citing strategies to reduce concussions and head impacts. The spokesperson also highlighted the league’s resources for former players to address physical and mental health concerns.
The NFL’s 2011 collective bargaining agreement first limited the number of contact practices during the season. The current agreement, ratified in 2020 and running through March 2031, continues those restrictions. The Ivy League banned full‑contact tackling during practices five years after the NFL’s initial changes.
Legal Background
In 2016, the Supreme Court cleared the way for the NFL’s settlement of concussion‑related lawsuits with thousands of retired players, providing a legal framework for compensation and medical monitoring.
Daneshvar urged current and former athletes experiencing cognitive symptoms to seek evaluation by a neurodegenerative‑disease specialist. He noted that roughly 70% of head impacts occur during practice, suggesting that even modest changes to practice routines could substantially lower cumulative head‑impact burden over a player’s lifetime.
Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.
