Study estimates 75% of former NFL players who died from 2008 to 2023 had CTE

A study published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Network Open estimates that 74.5% of former NFL players who died between 2008 and 2023 likely had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease. Researchers from Boston University, Mass General Brigham and the Concussion & CTE Foundation analyzed 2,362 deceased players, combining brain donations from 396 players with National Death Index records for 1,966 others. Nearly 94% of the donated brains had CTE. Because CTE can be diagnosed only after death, the researchers cautioned that the estimate does not predict CTE in living players and does not cover college or youth football. Lead author Julia Gallini called the figure concerning and said efforts to diagnose CTE during life must continue. The NFL said it continues to work to make the game safer and encouraged former players to use available resources to seek treatment.

Right-leaning outlets start with the rounded 75% figure. The Daily Mail's headline calls the study a bombshell, and it notes that an August study by some of the same researchers estimated one in four players who died from 2016 to 2021 had CTE. The Daily Mail also reports Gallini's concern and includes the NFL's statement on safety efforts. The Daily Caller's neutral headline stresses the study's limits, including that it does not apply to living players or to college and youth football. Left-leaning Los Angeles Times leads with the precise 74.5% figure under a headline calling it staggering. It focuses on how the study used death-index records to avoid selection bias, and on Gallini's point that more than 20 million American men alive today have played football. Both sides report the same core numbers and the Boston University-led team. Alternative outlet Yahoo Sports takes a distinct angle, emphasizing that a confirmed CTE diagnosis is not required for living players seeking Social Security disability benefits.