Experts Weigh Study Estimating 75% of NFL Players Who Died in Recent Years Had CTE Signs

What the estimate measures

Researchers said the wide range reflected uncertainty about whether brain donors represent the broader NFL population. People who donate their brains may be more likely to have symptoms believed to be linked to CTE.

CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook cautioned that the estimate could be too high. The research counted signs of CTE in brains, not the number of former players who had symptoms.

Experts urge more research

Tanner said the broader estimate is at least 20% to 25%, calling the finding eye-opening and pointing to the need to advance research. He also said scientific progress in recent decades has led to new Alzheimer’s therapies and could benefit research into CTE and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Looking for early changes

Dr. Jay Alberts, director of the Cleveland Clinic Concussion Center, said the findings support efforts to identify early warning signs. He said researchers should use better measurements and pay closer attention to changes in brain function. Alberts said earlier detection could help make CTE easier to diagnose and could lead to interventions that might slow the condition or potentially reverse it.

Football safety and player generations

The NFL said it continually works to make football safer, including through strategies intended to reduce concussions and head impacts. Dams-O’Connor said the findings should translate to lower CTE risk among recent generations of players than among those who played decades ago.