BMJ Study Documents High CTE Prevalence Among Deceased NFL Players

A British Medical Journal study of deceased NFL players found chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease diagnosed only after death, in 215 of 235 brain donors who died between 2016 and 2021, according to BBC Sport. The research examined 878 former NFL players who died during that six-year window, of whom 235 had donated their brains to research.

The study calculated a conservative minimum CTE prevalence of 24.5% among those who died in the period, according to BBC Sport. A maximum prevalence figure of 97.7% was also calculated, per BBC Sport. Dementia was also common among the brain donors, according to BBC Sport.

Lead author Daniel Daneshvar, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, stated according to BBC Sport that former NFL players have approximately four times the rate of death from neurodegenerative disease compared to the general population. Daneshvar also stated that the bulk of head impacts experienced by former NFL players occurred at the youth, high school, and collegiate levels rather than at the professional level, per BBC Sport.

The NFL responded with a prepared statement: "The NFL continuously strives to make the game of football safer, including by implementing strategies to reduce concussions and head impacts. 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," according to BBC Sport.

In 2016, the NFL agreed to a $1 billion settlement with more than 5,000 former players following a long-running class action lawsuit, per BBC Sport. A 2011 NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement included limits on the number of contact practices, according to BBC Sport.