Study Reveals Estimated 75% Of NFL Players Who Died From 2008-2023 Had CTE
Study Reveals Estimated 75% Of NFL Players Who Died From 2008-2023 Had CTE
Andrew Powell Thu, October 29, 2026 at 4:16 AM UTC
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Study Reveals Estimated 75% Of NFL Players Who Died From 2008-2023 Had CTE ©(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
According to a new study that was released Wednesday, an estimated 75% of ex-NFL players who passed away between 2008-2023 had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or more commonly referred to as CTE. The neurodegenerative brain disease is connected to contact sports such as football.
Published by researchers at the Concussion & CTE Foundation, Boston University and Mass General Brigham in JAMA Network Open, the study stated that it's the first comprehensive effort that's been done by scientists to get a better understanding of CTE prevalence among former NFL players who are now dead. (RELATED: Former Cowboy Dez Bryant Calls Out Police Investigation After Being Cited For Assault)
In August, a few of these researchers published a paper that made an estimation that 1 in 4 ex-players who passed away between 2016-2021 had CTE.
An individual can only be diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease following death, and research is ongoing for discovering a CTE test for people who are still alive.
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It was cautioned by researchers that the estimation applies just to dead NFL players and doesn't make a prediction regarding living players and CTE.
The prevalence of CTE in football players at the college and youth levels also wasn't addressed in the study. It also doesn't provide any information of what, if any, symptoms came about in the players that could potentially be tied to the neurodegenerative disease.
Based on severity, CTE is classified in stages that range from I-IV. According to researchers, symptoms often don't show in the earlier stages.
"Many cases may have been early stage at the time of death and possibly symptom free," said the paper.
Source: “AOL Sports”
