New Study Reveals High Prevalence of CTE Among NFL Players

The latest research, published in the British Medical Journal, analyzed data from 878 former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021. Of these, 215 were found to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease that can only be diagnosed after death.

The study, led Researchers calculated a "conservative minimum" of CTE prevalence among those who died in the six-year period to be 24.5%, rising to a maximum of 97.7%. For related coverage, explore our detailed analysis on Technology and Digital Systems.

Key Analysis and Detailed Timeline

"We and others have shown that in NFL players, specifically, there is about a four times higher rate of death from neurodegenerative disease than the general population," said Dr. Daneshvar. "These findings indicate that NFL players have a higher prevalence of CTE at death than has been previously shown in multiple community-based studies."

Researchers urge the NFL to take preventive measures to reduce cumulative hits across all levels of the sport. "The bulk of the head impacts that these former NFL players experienced didn't occur at the NFL level," Dr. Daneshvar noted.

"They occurred at the collegiate level and at the high school level and in many cases the youth level. And all of those cumulative hits to the head added up to result in an increased risk."

The NFL has acknowledged the link between football and brain disease, with a spokesperson stating: "The NFL continuously strives to make the game of football safer, including providing resources for former players to identify and seek treatment when they are concerned about their health.

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Broader Impact and Sector Outlook

Following a long-running class action, in 2016 the NFL concurred a $1bn (£700m) settlement with more than 5,000 former players.

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Brain scans of a former NFL player who was diagnosed with CTE As many as 97.7% of NFL players who passed away between 2016 and 2021 could have had brain disease related to repeated blows to the head, a new study says.

Researchers looked at 878 former players who passed away during that period, with 235 having donated their brains to research.

Of those, 215 were found to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease which can only be diagnosed after death.