NFL Faces Troubling Questions As New Study Estimates Nearly 75% Of Deceased Players Had CTE

Researchers reveal worrying CTE estimates in NFL© X formally Twitter

Football's toughest question just got a number. A new study estimates that nearly 75% of NFL players who died between 2008 and 2023 had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, known as CTE. Researchers from Boston University, Mass General Brigham and the Concussion & CTE Foundation published the findings in JAMA Network Open on Wednesday, Oct. 28. The team studied 2,362 former players. Among those who donated their brains, about 94% showed the disease. The figure is an estimate, and the authors are open about where its limits sit.

How did researchers reach the NFL CTE estimate?

The team combined two sources. A total of 396 players donated their brains, and the other 1,966 were covered through National Death Index records. Donors usually played longer and died younger, and most were White. Donated brains alone cannot speak for an entire league, so the death records help fill the gap.

The Mayo Clinic describes CTE as a brain disease that kills brain cells over time, typically after repeated head injuries. An earlier Boston University study in August estimated that between 25% and 98% of players who died from 2016 to 2021 had it. The new work covers 16 years of deaths and lands on a single figure.

What does the CTE finding mean for players and families?

Lead author Julia Gallini, a PhD candidate at the Boston University School of Public Health, pointed to a stark contrast. Community brain banks consistently find CTE in under 1% of donors.

"With CTE consistently found in less than 1% of donors to community brain banks, an estimated 75% prevalence among NFL players who died over a 16-year period is concerning, and suggests we need to increase efforts to support families, diagnose CTE during life, and treat CTE-related symptoms," Gallini added.

Doctors diagnose CTE in stages, and the study cannot say whether it contributed to each player's death. The authors wrote, "Many cases may have been early stage at the time of death and possibly symptom free."

Other limits matter too. The study looked only at deceased NFL players. It does not predict how many living players have CTE, and it cannot say whether college or high school athletes face the same rates.

The NFL responded in a statement to ABC News. The league said it "continuously strives to make the game of football safer, including by implementing strategies to reduce concussions and head impacts." It added, "The NFL remains committed to ensuring that the NFL community has access to a robust -- and expanding -- set of resources to enhance their physical and mental well-being." The NFL Players' Association also told the outlet it remains committed to supporting scientific research and expanding access to care.