Study Estimates 75% of Deceased NFL Players Had CTE — SkimNews
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- JAMA Network Open published the first comprehensive study of CTE prevalence among deceased former NFL players, estimating that 75% of those who died from 2008 through 2023 had the disease.
- Boston University and Mass General Brigham and the Concussion & CTE Foundation conducted the research across 2,362 cases, combining 396 donated brains with National Death Index records for 1,966 deceased non-donors.
- CTE was found in nearly 94% of the 396 donated brains, but donors were more likely to be white, to die younger and to have longer NFL careers; researchers adjusted for those differences and said prevalence remained high.
- Julia Gallini called the nearly 75% estimate concerning and said more effort was needed to support families, diagnose CTE during life and treat CTE-related symptoms.
- The study applied only to deceased former NFL players, did not predict prevalence among living players and did not address college or youth football; it also did not establish what symptoms the deceased players had experienced.
- NFL said it continually works to reduce concussions and head impacts and urged former players to use league resources to identify and seek treatment when concerned about their health.
- NFL Players Association called studies of football's long-term effects critical to improving understanding of the sport's impact.
Why it matters: Former NFL players and families face a concrete diagnostic gap: the study covered 2,362 deceased-player cases from 2008-2023, CTE is diagnosable only after death, and symptoms often do not manifest in its earliest stages. The NFL points former players to health resources, but the estimate does not extend to living or youth players.
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