Health · Medical Research · 4 hrs ago
Study Estimates CTE in Nearly Three-Quarters of Deceased Former NFL Players
Researchers estimate that 74.5% of deceased former NFL players had CTE between 2008 and 2023.
CTE is a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated blows to the head.
Earlier studies found CTE in nearly all donated brains they examined, but players with symptoms may be more likely to donate, so those samples may not reflect all former players.
The new study combined brain-bank data with death records and modeled that symptomatic players were about five times more likely to have their brains donated.
The estimate describes brain changes at death, not the share destined to develop dementia.
A study co-author said clinics have helped some former players improve cognitive symptoms, mental health and quality of life, although the underlying CTE cannot yet be treated.
The findings offer a broader estimate of how common CTE was among deceased former players, while the study does not establish how common it is among living players.
A statistical model estimates that 74.5 percent of deceased former NFL players had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) at death.
The estimate covers players who died from 2008 through 2023 and adjusts for bias in which brains were donated for research.
Researchers estimated that players with cognitive symptoms were about five times more likely to donate their brains.
The findings do not mean that three-quarters of former players will develop dementia.
- Who
- Deceased former National Football League players.
- What
- A study estimated that 74.5 percent had CTE neuropathology at death.
- When
- The estimate covers deaths from 2008 through 2023. The articles were published in November 2026.
- Where
- The United States; the study concerns former NFL players and draws on brain-bank data and mortality records.
- Why
- Researchers modeled the effects of selection bias because players with symptoms may be more likely to donate their brains.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
A study found CTE signs in 110 of 111 examined brains from deceased NFL players.
Researchers reported that CTE prevalence at death could range from 18.5 percent to 98.7 percent among former players who died from 2008 through 2021.
A new study used a statistical model to estimate CTE prevalence among former NFL players who died from 2008 through 2023.
- Estimated CTE prevalence
- 74.5 percent of deceased former NFL players
- Study period
- Deaths from 2008 through 2023
- Donation bias estimate
- Players with cognitive symptoms were about five times more likely to donate their brains
- Earlier study sample
- 110 of 111 examined brains showed signs of CTE in 2017
- Earlier population
- 1,712 former NFL players died from 2008 through 2021; 338 donated their brains
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What people are saying
After adjusting for this selection process, we estimated that approximately 74.5 percent of deceased former NFL players had CTE neuropathology at death between 2008 and 2023
While we cannot yet treat the underlying CTE pathology, our goal is to bend the curve of brain aging, extend brain healthspan and help players feel and function better throughout their lives.