Study finds CTE in at least a quarter of former NFL players examined
Research published in the British Medical Journal found chronic traumatic encephalopathy in at least 25% of former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021.
A study published Tuesday in the British Medical Journal found signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy in at least one in four former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021. The findings add to long-running concerns about the brain risks linked to football.
The research examined a sample of deceased former players and identified CTE in at least 25% of them, according to the study. The exact prevalence of the disease across all former players remains unknown.
CTE is a degenerative brain condition associated with repeated head impacts, and it can only be diagnosed after death. Researchers have spent years trying to measure how often it appears among people who played contact sports.
The new paper was reported by NPR, ESPN and CBS Sports on Tuesday. It adds another data point to the debate over the long-term health effects of playing professional football.
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