A new study of 2,362 former NFL players who died between 2008 and 2023 estimates three in four had CTE, a rate far above the general population.
A sobering new study is putting the long-term cost of playing in the NFL back in the spotlight. Researchers estimate that about 75% of former league players who died between 2008 and 2023 had evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the degenerative brain disease better known as CTE.
The research, published Wednesday in JAMA Network Open, was led by a Boston-based team. They looked at an estimated 2,362 players who died over that 15-year window and assessed how common CTE was within the group.
The headline finding is the gap. The estimated rate among ex-NFL players was substantially higher than the rates seen in brain samples collected from the general population. That suggests the disease is far more common among those who played at the sport's highest level.
The study adds to the growing pressure on the league, players' associations and youth football programs to take head-impact exposure seriously. For the thousands of men who built careers on the field, and for the families who live with the aftermath, the numbers put hard data behind a conversation that has been building for years.
