A new study suggests that as many as 97.7% of NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 may have had brain disease related to repeated blows to the head. Researchers examined 878 former players who died during this period, with 235 having donated their brains for research.
Of the donated brains, 215 were found to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease diagnosable only after death. The study, published in the British Medical Journal, also noted that dementia was common among brain donors.
The report's lead author, Daniel Daneshvar, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, stated that NFL players have about a four times higher rate of death from neurodegenerative disease than the general population. He added that these findings indicate a higher prevalence of CTE at death among NFL players than previously shown in community-based studies.
Researchers calculated a "conservative minimum" of CTE prevalence among those who died in the six-year period to be 24.5%, potentially rising to a "maximum" of 97.7%. They have urged the NFL to implement prevention measures to reduce repetitive head impacts across all levels of the sport, noting that the majority of head impacts occurred at collegiate, high school, and youth levels.
An NFL spokesperson said the league continuously aims to make football safer, including by implementing strategies to reduce concussions and head impacts. The NFL also stated its commitment to ensuring its community has access to resources for physical and mental well-being.