Boston University study estimates 75% of deceased NFL players had CTE
New JAMA Network Open analysis corrects for brain-donor selection bias, producing the highest NFL CTE prevalence estimate to date.
What to know
- New JAMA Network Open study estimates 75% of NFL players who died 2008-2023 likely had CTE, the highest estimate to date.
- The method adjusts for selection bias: among 396 brain donors, 93.5% had CTE, but donors were about five times more likely to have had cognitive symptoms than nondonors.
- Researchers and outside experts stress the figure is a statistical estimate from a model, not a direct measurement, and the study can't determine CTE rates in living players.
- The NFL did not issue a new statement, instead pointing to its prior response citing safety initiatives and player resources.
“It's hard to learn what the guys who built the game have suffered through”
Matt Hasselbeck, Former NFL quarterback, study ambassador · CBS News ↗ · Oct 27
Julia Gallini Lead author, Boston University researcherYorghos Tripodis Senior author, BU professor of biostatistics
Matt Hasselbeck Former NFL quarterback, study ambassadorNFL LeagueRussell Lonser Outside expert, Ohio State University neurosurgery professor
How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts
-
2
Outside expert cautions estimate is model-dependent
A neurosurgeon not involved in the study called it the best attempt yet to correct for selection bias but stressed it remains a modeled estimate rather than a direct measurement.
“it is an estimate from a model and should be read that way.”
— Russell Lonser, Ohio State University -
P
A new study found that about three in four deceased NFL players from 2008 to 2023 had CTE
2 more of the top 3 · 40 posts in this stretch
-
John Urschel cited the CTE risk when he decided to quit the NFL and pursue his math PhD. He just published https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.06785 which seems to be a significant result from where I'm standing, but I can't really tell what's what with math at that level.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Urschel> In August 2015, an incident gave him a…
-
Also, this doesn't actually tell us what the risks are today, only in the past. How old were these guys? When did they play? Helmet technology has changed quite a bit, but the game is also faster now. This study basically says, we know football used to be really dangerous. It probably still is, but we won't have data on that until this generation…
-
-
background
NFL points to prior safety statement in response — Asked about the new study, the NFL referred reporters to a statement it had issued in response to the earlier August study, citing efforts to reduce concussions and head impacts.
-
background
Researchers detail method correcting for donor selection bias — The team found former players with cognitive symptoms were about five times more likely to have their brains donated, and recalculated the observed 93.5% donor rate down to an estimated 74.5% prevalence across all deceased players.
-
1
New BU study estimates 75% of deceased NFL players had CTE
Published in JAMA Network Open, the study analyzed 2,362 former NFL players who died from 2008-2023, including 396 brain donors of whom 93.5% had CTE, and used statistical adjustment to estimate 74.5% prevalence across the full group.
“With CTE consistently found in less than 1% of donors to community brain banks, an estimated 75% prevalence among NFL players who died over a 16-year period is concerning…”
— Julia Gallini, lead author -
22 outlets first by NBC News, 14d ago · also CBS News, Yahoo, WJCL, CNN, Breaking News, Latest News and Videos, Guardian +15 · read ↗
-
first by Scientific American, 14d ago · also Science News
1 more headline
- Three-quarters of NFL football players may end up with CTE Science News · 14d ago
-
-
background
BU's earlier study puts CTE prevalence at 25%-98% — An August study from the same group estimated anywhere from 25% to 98% of ex-NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 had CTE, a wide range BU attributed to uncertainty about how representative brain donors were of the full player population.
Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet
-
first by NYT Health, 14d ago · also NYT Science
and 3 smaller pieces
What people are saying 21 voices from 4 sites · best of 40 · verbatim
- Nov 3
-
Play flag football. It's a great sport without the terrible risks. It's also being played by girls too.I coach middle school girls. It's a blast. It has by far the most strategy of any youth sport.If I had sons, I wouldn't let them play tackle football before high school, and I would have to think long and hard about that even.I enjoyed flag…
-
Respectfully, did you ever play tackle football? I ask because it's easy to look at something you're not familiar with & not see the value.I played football in high school & college. Did I get hurt? Yes. But I also got hurt in other sports. My worst injury by far was in baseball (it required ~22 stitches & I couldn't see out of one eye for a…
-
The real comparison study here would be to measure the other football codes (soccer, rugby, canadian, aussie rules, gaelic, etc) and see how that compares.Especially recently, international contact sports have become quite aware of the brain issue and have moved a lot to change things. Even as an avid NFL fan [0], I am shocked at how violent…
-
I tried contact football in 7th grade and only lasted a few practice sessions. I was shocked by what I saw; other kids throwing their bodies into each other as if they were just bags of meat, sometimes colliding head-on. The ferocity with which they did it seemed like a source of pride for them and there was this sense of one-upmanship on who…
-
There are even studies linking soccer ("football") to an increased risk of dementia. One large study found that the risk was highest among defenders (who tend to head the ball most frequently) and lowest among goalkeepers (who rarely do.)That study stopped short of establishing a link to CTE specifically, which can only be definitively diagnosed…
-
Here's a link to the study.[1] Since CTE can only be diagnosed by slicing up the brain, and former NFL players only tend to donate their brains to study if they're experiencing cognitive issues, there's obviously a bias in the sample. They tried to adjust for this by looking at rates of cognitive impairment in NFL players who donated their brains…
-
Don't forget the hearing loss and tinnitus, too. Boxers and footballers tend to go deaf.https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/07/140707134223.h...> Leonetti recently spoke to retired players alongside EarQ at a meeting of the Chicago chapter of the NFL Players Association. When Leonetti asked how many players had experienced concussions…
- Nov 1
-
Am I the only one who feels as though these studies need to move past the NFL and go into HS sports. Not every football player makes it to the NFL but everyone who makes it to the NFL has had more snaps played from little league to college on average.
- Oct 29
-
J
A number of high-profile NFL players who took their own lives – including Junior Seau, Dave Duerson and Aaron Hernandez – were found to have had CTE when their brains were analyzed after their deaths. https://www. theguardian.com/us-news/2026/o ct/28/cte-nfl-brain-disease-research
-
D
Abolish the NFL. Study: 75% of NFL players who died from 2008 to 2023 likely had CTE - Los Angeles Times https://www. latimes.com/sports/story/2026- 10-29/nfl-players-died-15-year-span-75-percent-had-cte-study > A study of former NFL players who died from 2008 to 2023 estimates that 74.5% had CTE, accounting for bias in brain donations because the…
-
Did you? If player quality is so much of an issue that it is affecting revenue, a nuclear option could be to remove teams.
-
Study: Estimated 75% of NFL players who died from 2008 to 2023 had CTE https://www. espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/503118 53/study-nearly-75-nfl-players-died-2008-23-had-cte?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub Posted into Top Stories in Sports @ top-stories-in-sports-thenewsdesk
-
A
An estimated 75% of former NFL players who died between 2008 and 2023 had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, the neurodegenerative brain disease tied to high-impact sports such as football, according to a new study. https://www. espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/503118 53/study-nearly-75-nfl-players-died-2008-23-had-cte
-
This is why you’re seeing the flags thrown on Skattebo. They knew this was dropping.
- Oct 28
-
P
New study estimates 75 percent of former NFL players who died from 2008 through 2023 had CTE. https://www. nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballt alk/rumor-mill/news/new-study-estimates-75-percent-of-former-nfl-players-who-died-from-2008-to-2023-had-cte
-
O
「NFL選手の間で脳疾患が蔓延していることが新たな推定で示唆される」： # NYT 「統計的手法を用いた新たな研究により、衝撃的な推定値が導き出された。引退したプロフットボール選手の4人に3人は、死亡時に慢性外傷性脳症（CTE）を患っていた可能性が高いというのだ。 この研究によると、過去6年間に亡くなったNFL引退選手の少なくとも25％が、慢性外傷性脳症（CTE）を患っていたことが判明した。CTEは、頭部への繰り返しの衝撃に関連する神経変性脳疾患である。 しかし、亡くなった選手の残りの75％のほとんどは検査を受けていない。そのため、亡くなった元NFL選手におけるCTEの実際の罹患率という、複雑で重大な問題が未解決のまま残された。…
-
In his interview Dr. Nowitski compares it to smoking. Probably a pretty good comparison . Or maybe leaded gasoline.
-
Study Finds 75% Of Deceased NFL Players In 15-Year Span Had Signs Of CTE https://www. huffpost.com/entry/study-finds -75-of-deceased-nfl-players-in-25-year-span-had-signs-of-cte_n_6ae2329be4b09cd24b6b085e?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub Posted into Wellness @ wellness-huffingtonpost
-
Much less kids in youth football leagues, who play tackle football in full pads. There's a youth football field a few blocks from our house, and I think of those kids sometimes.
-
Chris nowinski brought up eliminating tackle football before high school would immediately reduce the number of hits taken by a huge amount. The problem isn't just NFL players. It's anyone that plays 10-12 years of football. Which when you start in first grade or kindergarten it's very easy to get to that amount.
-
S
A staggering number of NFL players die with the brain disease CTE. And now new estimates suggest as many as 75 percent of former players are affected.