The Scary Truth About NFL Players’ Brain Health Revealed in New Study
The study, published in JAMA Network Open , looked at 2,362 former NFL players who died during the 16-year period. Nearly 75% of former NFL players who died between 2008 and 2023 had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a brain disease linked to repeated head impacts. A new study has raised fresh concerns about the long-term effects of playing in the NFL.
However, researchers stressed that the 74.5% figure is an estimate, not a confirmed diagnosis for every player included in the study. Of the former players included in the study, 387 had donated brains that were examined for CTE. Researchers found signs of the disease in 362 of them, or 93.5%. Nearly 3 in 4 Former NFL Players Who Died Had CTE, New Study Uncovers Families may be more likely to donate a player’s brain if their loved one experienced memory problems, personality changes or other cognitive symptoms before death. Former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez, who died in 2017 at age 27, was found to have Stage 3 CTE. Former San Diego Chargers linebacker Junior Seau, who died in 2012 at age 43, was also diagnosed with CTE after his death.
Because cTE has been linked to repeated blows to the head, something football players can experience throughout their careers, the findings are concerning. Researchers from Boston University, Mass General Brigham and the Concussion & CTE Foundation worked together to estimate how common the disease was among the group. That is a very high percentage, but there is an important reason why the researchers did not use it as the final figure for all former NFL players. This means that donated brains may not represent every former player who died during the same period. Several famous NFL players have been diagnosed with CTE after death.
