New study estimates 75% of deceased ex-NFL players had brain disease CTE

Research looked at prevalence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy in 2,362 players who died in 2008-2023 A new study published on Wednesday estimates that about 75% of former NFL players who died over a 15-year period had evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The research, published in Jama Network Open and conducted by a Boston-based team, examined the estimated prevalence of the degenerative brain disease among NFL players who died from 2008 through 2023. Researchers found that the estimated rate of CTE among these players was substantially higher than the rates observed in brain samples collected from the general population.

The analysis included records from 2,362 deceased former NFL players who spent an average of five years in the league. Of the nearly 400 players whose brains were donated for examination, 93.5% showed evidence of CTE. Researchers said the findings represented the first attempt to estimate how widespread CTE was among all former NFL players who died during the 2008-2023 period, rather than limiting