By Globe News Report Staff
Brain Disease Rate in Dead NFL Players may be higher than previously known, according to a new study. As many as 97.7% of NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 may have had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated hits to the head. Doctors can only diagnose CTE after death.
What the Study Found
Researchers looked at 878 former NFL players. All of them died during that six-year period. Of those, 235 had donated their brains for research. CTE was found in 215 of those 235 brains. The study also found something else. Dementia was common among the brain donors. It was published in the British Medical Journal.
Researchers gave two estimates. Their “conservative minimum” was a 24.5% CTE rate. Their “maximum” estimate reached 97.7%.
Lead author Daniel Daneshvar is an associate professor at Harvard Medical School. He said NFL players die from neurodegenerative disease at about four times the rate of the general population. He added that this study found a higher CTE rate than earlier community-based studies had shown.
Where the Damage Often Starts
Daneshvar said most head impacts don’t happen at the NFL level. He explained that the damage builds up earlier. It often starts in youth football. It continues through high school and college. He said all of those hits add up over time. That raises long-term risk.
Researchers are urging the NFL to act. They want new steps to reduce head impacts. This applies to every level of the sport, not just the pros.
The NFL’s Response
An NFL spokesperson responded to the study. The league said it continues working to make football safer. This includes efforts to reduce concussions and head impacts. The league said it remains committed to supporting former players. It offers resources for physical and mental health. It encouraged players with health concerns to seek treatment.
A Long-Running Issue
CTE has worried the football world for over a decade. In 2011, the NFL and its players signed a new agreement. It limited the number of contact practices. In 2016, the NFL agreed to a $1 billion settlement. That came after a long legal battle. More than 5,000 former players were part of it.
Sources: BBC and Sporting Tribune.