New Study Finds CTE in at Least 1 in 4 Former NFL Players Who Died Between 2016 and 2021
Researchers said the figure is a conservative estimate, and alternative calculations from the same data put prevalence as high as 91%.
- A new study published in The British Medical Journal found at least one in four former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a degenerative brain disease.
- Lead author Daniel Daneshvar of Harvard Medical School stated the estimate is conservative, assuming unexamined brains were disease-free; CTE develops from cumulative head impacts occurring across a player's entire career, from youth through the NFL.
- Researchers found 315 of 338 donated brains showed signs of the disease, while 16% of non-donors had dementia listed on death certificates, indicating the true prevalence is likely much higher than the one-in-four figure.
- On Tuesday, Pat McAfee, former Indianapolis Colts punter, used The Pat McAfee Show to urge the NFL and NFLPA to expand lifetime medical insurance for retired players, calling universal coverage "a layup" for a league generating billions annually.
- While McAfee acknowledges players understand the risks, he argues the NFL must reduce contact during practice—where 70% of head impacts occur—to prevent future CTE cases in high school and college players beginning their careers.
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Football season is back, bringing millions of Americans together around one of the country’s most beloved sports. But new research on chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, raises an uncomfortable question: What price are players paying for our entertainment? Host Megan McArdle explores the physical and cognitive toll of football and what responsibility fans have when they turn on a game.
"Don’t know how that hasn’t happened yet”: New CTE study has Pat McAfee calling out NFL & NFLPA over lack of lifetime insurance to ex-players
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) has been a long-standing problem in the NFL, and Pat McAfee has some strong words about how it affects the NFL's treatment of retired players.
Growing number of CTE cases raise concerns in contact sports
WHEELING, W.Va. (WTRF) - Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, however more commonly known as CTE has been affecting athletes for generations. The injury does not stay specific to one sport, however according to a recent study, NFL players have been suffering for years. Junior Seau, Demaryius Thomas and Mike Webster... all three of these NFL athletes have [...]
At Least One in Four NFL Players May Have CTE
Helmet-to-helmet hits are now banned in the NFL. —George Gojkovich—Getty ImagesAn alarming number of professional football players in the U.S. may someday have chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the neurodegenerative disease associated with repeated concussions and sub-concussive hits to the head, a new study suggests. The research, published in the BMJ, studied the brains of NFL players who died from 2016 to 2021 and found that one in four…
Pat McAfee calls for NFL to provide lifetime insurance to former players after bombshell CTE study
Screen grab: 'The Pat McAfee Show'Following the release of a new study showing an alarming rate of CTE among deceased former NFL athletes, Pat McAfee is calling for the league to do more for retired players. The British Medical Journal study estimated that 25 percent of former NFL players who died between 2016-21 showed signs of CTE, a degenerative brain condition caused by repeated head trauma. Researchers looked at hundreds of brains donated b…
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