Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
Today, a new study from researchers at Mass General Brigham, Boston University, and the Concussion & CTE Foundation was released in The BMJ. The findings are deeply concerning: at least 1 in 4 former NFL players in our study had CTE at the time of death.
1 in 4.
For comparison, the estimated prevalence of CTE in the general population is less than 1%.
And even that 1-in-4 figure is only the minimum possible prevalence in this group. It assumes that the players whose brains were donated and confirmed to have CTE were the only players in the study who had it.
At the other extreme, if every player who did not donate their brain also had CTE, the prevalence could have been as high as 97.7%.
Neither extreme is likely to represent the true prevalence. The reality is almost certainly somewhere in between. That uncertainty is important. But so is the finding we can say with confidence: CTE was present in at least 25% of the former NFL players in this study who died between 2016-2021.
These findings simply must be a wake up call for the NFL and scientific communities. We need to do more to prevent repetitive head impacts and dedicate our energy & resources towards developing a cure.
Today, a new study from researchers at Mass General Brigham, Boston University, and the Concussion & CTE Foundation was released in The BMJ. The findings are deeply concerning: at least 1 in 4 former NFL players in our study had CTE at the time of death.
1 in 4.
For comparison, the estimated prevalence of CTE in the general population is less than 1%.
And even that 1-in-4 figure is only the minimum possible prevalence in this group. It assumes that the players whose brains were donated and confirmed to have CTE were the only players in the study who had it.
At the other extreme, if every player who did not donate their brain also had CTE, the prevalence could have been as high as 97.7%.
Neither extreme is likely to represent the true prevalence. The reality is almost certainly somewhere in between. That uncertainty is important. But so is the finding we can say with confidence: CTE was present in at least 25% of the former NFL players in this study who died between 2016-2021.
These findings simply must be a wake up call for the NFL and scientific communities. We need to do more to prevent repetitive head impacts and dedicate our energy & resources towards developing a cure.
