'Concerning' new study confirms CTE in majority of recently deceased NFL players

The NFL has been tightening its protocols on concussions for many years in an effort to mitigate the damage caused by blows to the head. However, in such a physical sport, it is virtually impossible to reduce the problems caused by those collisions to zero.

Even so, researchers across fields are constantly studying ways to limit the impact of such incidents, since they can ultimately have fatal consequences for players.

Recently, a study published in JAMA Network Open by researchers from Boston University, Mass General Brigham, and the Concussion & CTE Foundation concluded that 75% of former NFL players who died between 2008 and 2023 had CTE, one of the conditions associated with the repeated blows to the head suffered by professional football players that is causing the greatest concern.

CTE is a neurodegenerative disease associated with repeated blows to the head, even when they do not result in an apparent concussion. Two main characteristics of the condition are changes to brain tissue and the buildup of a protein that can interfere with neuronal development.

A major problem

One of the issues that concerns experts most today is the fact that no test has yet been found to diagnose CTE in living people. It can only be detected once doctors have access to the brain of someone who has died.

Moreover, the report says that "many cases may have been at an early stage at the time of death and may not have presented symptoms."

The study included 2,362 cases. It combined data from 396 players who donated their brains with National Death Index records for the other 1,966 deceased players who did not donate theirs.

When they focused on the former football players who had donated their organs, the individuals were more likely to be White, to have died at a younger age and to have played in the NFL for more years. Nearly 94% of the donated brains showed evidence of CTE.

Julia Gallini, the study's lead author, said in a statement that the estimated prevalence, close to 75%, was "concerning" and that more efforts were needed "to support families, diagnose CTE during life and treat symptoms related to the disease".

The NFL, for its part, is well aware of the issue and has addressed it on several occasions.

"We are continually working to make football safer, including by implementing strategies to reduce concussions and head impacts," the league said in a statement.

Players' association NFLPA welcomes the continued publication of such studies, believing that they prioritise players' safety and health: "They are essential to improving our understanding of the long-term consequences of football."