New study on NFL players shows horrifying CTE statistic

A new study has delivered another disturbing NFL finding about the long-term health consequences of playing football.

At least one in four former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), according to research published Tuesday in the British Medical Journal.

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Study reveals troubling CTE numbersNFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaks at the Gold Jacket Dinner at the Canton Memorial Civic Center, Aug. 7, 2026. Credit: USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect (Reuters)

Researchers examined the cases of 878 former NFL players who died during that six-year period. Of those players, 235 had donated their brains for research, and 215 were diagnosed with CTE. Because CTE can currently only be definitively diagnosed after death, researchers describe the 24.5% figure as a minimum estimate rather than the true prevalence among all NFL players.

That distinction is important.

The study did not determine that exactly 24.5% of every NFL player develops CTE. Instead, researchers used available brain donations to estimate how common the disease was among deceased players during the study period.

Still, the findings are deeply concerning.

CTE is a degenerative brain disease associated with repeated head impacts, and the study found that players with more advanced CTE were more likely to have experienced symptoms associated with dementia before their deaths.

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The NFL’s long-term health problem

The research also found a troubling connection between length of NFL careers and neurodegenerative disease. According to Boston University researchers involved in the study, former NFL players were found to have nearly four times the mortality rate from neurodegenerative diseases compared with the general population. Players who spent more than five years in the NFL had approximately twice the risk of dying from neurodegenerative disease compared with those who played one to four seasons.

Researchers emphasized that the issue isn’t limited to hits suffered during NFL games. Many players accumulate thousands of head impacts throughout their football careers, including during youth, high school and college football.

That’s what makes this study particularly important. The conversation surrounding player safety has often focused on concussions, but CTE is associated with repetitive head impacts, including impacts that don’t necessarily result in a diagnosed concussion.

The NFL has taken steps to reduce contact during practices and improve player safety, but researchers believe more work is needed at every level of football.

The new study doesn’t mean one in four current NFL players will develop CTE. But it does provide another sobering reminder of the potential long-term consequences of repeated head trauma in football — and why player safety remains one of the biggest issues facing the sport.

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