According To Research, One-Third Of Former NFL Players Believe They Have CTE

Roughly one-third of former professional football players surveyed believe they have chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease also known as CTE, which has been closely associated with the impact of repetitive head injuries over time. 

According to a recent study, evidence of CTE has been discovered in the brains of numerous retired football players posthumously, highlighting the lasting consequences of the sport on players’ long-term health.

The new study focuses on a subgroup of just under 2,000 respondents 

Although CTE can only be officially identified by a postmortem brain study, the research, which was published on Monday in the journal JAMA Neurology, differs from many other studies on the disease in that it is based on survey data from former players who are still living.

Rachel Grashow, the lead author of the new study and director of epidemiological research initiatives at Harvard University’s Football Players Health Study said Most of the studies that have been done on CTE are much smaller studies on deceased players, So, we have this incredibly rich cohort. It is diverse by geography, by race, by amount of playing time. We are studying, really, how they lived their lives, not postmortem.”

The National Football League Players Association provides some funding for the Football Players Health Study, the cohort to which Grashow is alluding. About 4,000 men who competed in the American Football League and National Football League between 1960 and 2000 were surveyed for the study (the two amalgamated in 1970). 

Data on their responses was gathered between 2017 and 2020. A subgroup of slightly less than 2,000 respondents who submitted further data is the subject of the current investigation. Of them, 34% claimed that, based on symptoms they had encountered—such as depression, cognitive impairments, and long-term consequences of prior head injuries—they thought they had CTE.

The hallmark of CTE is the death of brain nerve cells, which can result in mood swings, depression, trouble controlling behavior, cognitive decline, and an increased risk of suicide ideation. Following brain trauma, symptoms may not appear for years or even decades. According to research, sustaining a second head injury before the first heals may raise the risk of chronic brain damage (CTE). 

In the latest study, of the 681 respondents who felt they had CTE, 25% reported suicidality, compared to 5% of respondents who did not think they had CTE. One important result, according to Grashow, was that many of the symptoms and diseases that respondents with presumed CTE described might be treated, including sleep apnea and depression.

Grashow said “Once you start to talk about treating these different conditions and getting them to go to the doctor and asking about them, the conversation totally shifts from, ‘Do they or do they not have this incurable, unknowable neurodegenerative disease?’ to, ‘What can be fixed now?’”

She also mentioned that in the past, therapies and management strategies have typically not been discussed in relation to CTE.

“What does CTE look like on an autopsy if they manage their hypertension, if they manage their depression, if they manage their sleep apnea and if they manage their pain?” she said.

“There are a lot of symptoms that sometimes are thought to be CTE”

Treatment and management of CTE symptoms are a feasible option for individuals who fear they may have the disease, according to Dr. Thor Stein, director of molecular research at Boston University’s CTE program.

He said “There are a lot of symptoms that sometimes are thought to be CTE, but they can still be treated, It’s important to identify the ones you can treat and get treatment as soon as possible. I don’t think that undermines the fact that CTE exists, and it still is something we want to try to understand more.”

Stein stated that future study aims to identify biomarkers that can direct the diagnosis of CTE in live patients. However, he pointed out that because the new study relied on self-reported replies, it has limitations.

Stein said “This was a single survey based on just a limited number of questions and I think it wasn’t really validated by clinical follow-up. That’s important to do, but I think it’s a really important first step,”

Less than two weeks after Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion during a game against the Buffalo Bills, the new research was released in the first month of the NFL season. Tagovailoa had sustained three concussions throughout his five-year NFL tenure. 

The incident sparked new debate on the league’s accountability and role in reducing the danger of CTE among its players. The NFL agreed to pay $765 million to resolve thousands of player complaints over brain injuries in 2013, and the organization acknowledged a connection between football and CTE in 2016.

The NFL has implemented new position-specific helmets in recent years, along with a guardian cap—an extra cushioned layer of protection—that is worn over the helmet during contact sessions.

This season, guardian caps are optional, and not many players have opted to wear them. An exception is tight end Kylen Granson of the Indianapolis Colts.

He added “For me, it was a no-brainer. I just said yes. I want to wear it the whole season, Anything I can do to mitigate any sort of brain injury or long-term health effects that would be detrimental to me takes precedent.”

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