A new study has found 75 percent of former NFL players who died between 2008 and 2023 had the neurodegenerative brain disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.
The study was published Wednesday in JAMA Network Open by researchers at Boston University, Mass General Brigham and the Concussion & CTE Foundation.
Some of those same researchers also published a paper in August that estimated one in four former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 had CTE.
CTE is a disease that can only be diagnosed after death, meaning research on the subject depends on brains donated by players or their families.
Symptoms include memory loss, depression and suicidal thoughts but it can only be definitively diagnosed after death.
Julia Gallini, the lead author on the paper, said the estimated figure of 75 percent was ‘concerning’. She insisted more needs to be done ‘to support families, diagnose CTE during life, and treat CTE-related symptoms.’
A new study has claimed 75 percent of ex-NFL players who died between 2008-2023 had CTE
‘Many cases may have been early stage at the time of death and possibly symptom free,’ the paper added.
The NFL, in a statement, said the league ‘continuously strives to make the game of football safer, including by implementing strategies to reduce concussions and head impacts.
‘We encourage former players to utilize these resources to identify and seek treatment when they are concerned about their health.’
The NFL Players Association said such studies ‘are critical to improving our understanding of football’s long-term impacts.’
Studies suggest that more than 300 deceased players have suffered from the debilitating condition associated with repeated blows to the head during contact sports like football and boxing.
The more than 300 players diagnosed posthumously include former Chicago Bears safety Dave Duerson, a four-time Pro Bowler, who shot himself in the chest in 2011 after writing a note asking for his brain to be examined.
Retired San Diego Chargers linebacker Junior Seau killed himself the following year. A study of his brain later revealed damage consistent with CTE.
The disorder was also discussed after Vontae Davis – the 35-year-old brother of Super Bowl winner Vernon Davis – was found dead at his Florida mansion in April 2024 after he binged on methamphetamine, MDMA and cannabis.
His ex-wife Megan Harpe told the Daily Mail: ‘The struggles Vontae endured during and after his NFL career – the confusion, mood changes, memory loss, impulsivity, changes in character, extreme changes in behavior – were real.
‘I never needed a CTE diagnosis to know what I was dealing with when Vontae retired. Those symptoms shaped the final year of his life, which ended too soon.’
