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Study Estimates 74.5% of Former NFL Players Who Died From 2008 to 2023 Had CTE

A study published Wednesday in JAMA Network Open gives the first population-level estimate of chronic traumatic encephalopathy among former NFL players, putting the share at 74.5% of those who died between 2008 and 2023.

By admin Oct. 28, 2026 · 10:44 PM ET 2 min read

An empty football stadium lit by floodlights at dusk

An estimated 74.5% of former NFL players who died between 2008 and 2023 had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, according to a study published Wednesday in JAMA Network Open. The researchers, from Boston University, Mass General Brigham, and the Concussion and CTE Foundation, describe the result as the first population-level estimate for NFL players.

A plain black football helmet and a folded gray towel on a wooden bench

The study covered more than 2,300 former NFL players who died from January 2008 through December 2023. Almost 400 of them had brain samples in Boston University’s UNITE Brain Bank, and the rest were identified from records in the U.S. National Death Index. The research team found that families of players who had CTE-related symptoms in life were five times more likely to donate a brain than families whose relative did not show symptoms. After accounting for that difference, the team arrived at the 74.5% estimate.

What CTE is, and what the number does not show

CTE is a brain disease linked to repeated blows to the head over time. It is diagnosed after death, during an autopsy, and has been found most often among American football players. A brain protein called tau, which normally helps nerve cells communicate, forms irregular, damaging clumps in brains with the disease. During life, people who are later found to have CTE can have memory problems, difficulty concentrating, depression, and poor impulse control.

A researcher in a lab coat and blue gloves looking through a microscope at glass slides

The paper said many cases may have been early stage at the time of death and possibly without symptoms, according to ESPN’s account of the study. The 74.5% figure describes players who died during the study period. It is not a count of living players, and CTE cannot be diagnosed in a living person.

Football players in plain dark practice uniforms seen from behind on a practice field

An earlier analysis in 2017 reported that an estimated 99% of former NFL players whose brains were donated had CTE. That count came only from donated brains, and families who donated may have done so because their relative had symptoms, which could skew the result. The new study was designed to correct for that bias. The research team said determining the true prevalence of CTE matters for understanding the public health impact of the disease.

Reporting based on coverage by Science News and NBC Sports.

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