Study Finds Brain Disease in Dead NFL Players

Doctors can only confirm CTE after death, so the true number is unclear. The 235 brains cannot stand for all 878 men, so the team estimated a range of 24.5 to 97.7 percent. Daniel Daneshvar, the lead author, said the real figure "likely lies somewhere in the middle". He also noted that fewer than one percent of ordinary people have CTE. The study looked at effects too. Among donors with CTE, 61.3 percent met the medical standard for dementia, and about 90 percent of those at the most advanced stage had been diagnosed with it.

The NFL said it "continuously strives to make the game of football safer" and is offering more health support to retired players. The NFL Players Association (NFLPA) called the results "a sobering reminder that football carries real risks". Attention is turning to younger players. Daneshvar wants children kept out of tackle football and contact removed from practice. The authors say prevention should target repeated head impacts, not only concussions. Teena Shetty, a neurologist speaking to NPR (National Public Radio), warned that the bigger danger may be smaller blows that never send a player to a doctor.