List of NFL players with chronic traumatic encephalopathy

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a type of brain damage that has been found in 345 of 376 deceased former National Football League (NFL) players, according to a 2023 report by the Boston University CTE Center, which has led the effort to diagnose CTE cases. In comparison, a 2018 BU study of the general population found one CTE case in 164 autopsies, and that one person with CTE had played college football.[1] The NFL acknowledged a link between playing American football and being diagnosed with CTE in 2016, after denying such a link for over a decade and arguing that players' symptoms had other causes.[2]

While much attention in the NFL has focused on limiting or treating concussions, the latest medical research indicates that the brain damage in CTE is caused by the cumulative impact of all collisions involving a player's head,[3][4] which confirms what was generally known nearly a century ago but was then largely forgotten.[5] The NFL has implemented rule changes to reduce collisions to the head[6] and has sought to improve helmet design.[7] Critics respond that significant head trauma is inevitable for bigger, faster players in tackle football[8] and that helmets are of limited use in preventing a player's brain from crashing into their skull, which is the cause of the brain damage that leads to CTE.[9]

As more parents (including some NFL players) decide not to let their children play football,[10][11] it remains to be seen whether football will eventually face a significant decline in popularity[12] like boxing, which fell from prominence as the brain damage suffered by ex-boxers drew more public attention.[13] Football is currently the most-watched sport in the U.S. by a substantial margin while basketball is the most-played sport.[14]

  1. ^ "Researchers Find CTE in 345 of 376 Former NFL Players Studied". Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  2. ^ Breslow, Jason (March 15, 2016). "NFL Acknowledges a Link Between Football, CTE". PBS. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  3. ^ Belson, Ken; Mueller, Benjamin (June 20, 2023). "Collective Force of Head Hits, Not Just the Number of Them, Increases Odds of C.T.E. The largest study of chronic traumatic encephalopathy to date found that the cumulative force of head hits absorbed by players in their careers is the best predictor of future brain disease". New York Times. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  4. ^ Young, Rodney; Turcios, Axel (July 2, 2023). "Study: Head impacts, not concussions, drive football-related CTE risk The study also found that linemen were more prone to developing CTE than players at any other position". Scripps News. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  5. ^ Steven T. Casper (February 10, 2022). "From 'Punch Drunk' to CTE: How the Sports World Learned to Ignore Brain Trauma". Global Sports Matters. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  6. ^ "NFL Health and Safety Related Rules Changes Since 2002". NFL. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  7. ^ "Player Health & Safety: Equipment & Innovation". NFL. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  8. ^ Daniel Sailofsky (September 10, 2022). "NFL season is here but I won't be following anymore. I can't un-see the harm it causes". The Guardian. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  9. ^ Tharmaratnam, T.; Iskandar, M. A.; Tabobondung, T. C.; Tobbia, I.; Gopee-Ramanan, P.; Tabobondung, T. A. (June 19, 2018). "Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in Professional American Football Players: Where Are We Now?". Frontiers in Neurology. 9: 445. doi:10.3389/fneur.2018.00445. PMC 6018081. PMID 29971037.
  10. ^ Garrison, Kimberly (February 4, 2015). "Football, not for my boy!". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  11. ^ "Jets' Jeremy Kerley pulling 8-year-old son out of football due to CTE concerns "I've lived and learned this game is brutal. This game can hurt you. CTE can hurt you. If I can prevent him from that, that's what I'm going to do."". November 19, 2017. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  12. ^ Roger Pielke (January 28, 2020). "The Decline Of Football Is Real And It's Accelerating". Forbes. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  13. ^ Haberman, Clyde (November 8, 2015). "Boxing Is a Brutal, Fading Sport. Could Football Be Next?". New York Times. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  14. ^ "Most popular sports in the United States". Statistics & Data. Retrieved August 12, 2023.