A new study published in The BMJ found that at least 24.5% of former NFL players who died from 2016 to 2021 had CTE. (Image via Getty and Twitter/X)
The study, published Tuesday in The BMJ, found confirmed CTE in at least 24.5% of former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021. One in four sounds alarming enough. The actual takeaway from a new study on chronic traumatic encephalopathy in former NFL players may be more concerning: researchers say that figure is the lowest reasonable estimate. Researchers from Mass General Brigham, Boston University and the Concussion & CTE Foundation also calculated a much wider possible range, underscoring how difficult it remains to determine the disease’s true prevalence.
It also does not present 25% as the likely final answer.
Daneshvar told Reuters that many of the hits absorbed by former NFL players occurred before they reached the league, including during college, high school and youth football. The NFL told ESPN that it “continuously strives to make the game of football safer” by working to reduce concussions and head impacts. That distinction matters. The study does not conclude that nearly every former NFL player develops CTE. Researchers argued that reducing repetitive head impacts during practice could lower cumulative exposure without changing actual game time. The NFL has already limited contact practices through its collective bargaining agreement, while other levels of football have adopted their own restrictions. The NFL Players Association responded directly to Tuesday’s findings in a statement to ESPN. The league also pointed to health resources available to current and former players.