A quarter of the NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 have been identified to suffer from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, according to a recent study.
The recent findings, which were published on Tuesday in the journal British Medical Journal, were centered on the prevalence of CTE among NFL players.
Sobering Neurological Study
The findings revealed that at least 25 percent of the 878 NFL players who played in at least one NFL game and passed away in this period suffered from CTE, per ESPN.
Since CTE can only be diagnosed after an individual passes away, most studies have relied on posthumously donated brains from players and their families.
The current study used samples of such brains donated in the period from 2008 and 2021; about 93 percent of the total brains donated were CTE positive. Researchers then used this sample, considered when the donation was highest and demographic data and information from death certificates.
Dr. Daniel Daneshvar, who authored the study, said that 25 percent is the “lower end.” According to him, the maximum prevalence of CTE was about 97 percent in the sample studied, while the real rate “is somewhere in the middle,” he added.
“This study is a sobering reminder that football carries real risks, and those risks can have lasting consequences for players and their families,” the NFLPA said in a statement to ESPN. “It also reinforces one of the NFLPA’s core priorities: improving player safety and supporting players throughout their lives, both during and after their careers.
“The findings should serve as a call to action across the entire football ecosystem. We all share a responsibility to advance research, improve access to care, develop better treatments, and support those affected by the long-term impacts of the game.”
The NFL “continuously strives to make the game of football safer, including by implementing strategies to reduce concussions and head impacts,” the league said in a statement. “The NFL remains committed to ensuring that the NFL community has access to a robust — and expanding — set of resources to enhance their physical and mental well-being.”
“The Game is Violent”
Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair who has spent seven season in the NFL expressed his fear about CTE to ESPN.
“The reality of the game is that it’s aggressive. It’s violent,” he said. “We’re out here running at each other. These are the best athletes in the world playing on one field. You’re going full speed running into each other. That’s the type of stuff that can happen.”
“That’s the reality of the game. I think we all know what we sign up for. … You have to make sure that you’re taking care of your body, doing the things that you can off the field to give yourself the best chance to stay healthy.”
