At Least 1/4 Of NFL Players Dying ZDuring 2016-2021 Had CTE

Tuesday, August 25, 2026

A new study from researchers at Mass General Brigham, published Tuesday in the prominent medical journal The BMJ, seeks to establish a more accurate baseline of CTE prevalence among retired NFL players who have died. Of football players who appeared in at least one NFL game in their careers and who died between 2016 and 2021, the study found that a minimum of around 25% had CTE upon their death. "We've known that this disease process can be caused by, in part, repeated traumatic brain injury. But we didn't know how common it was," said Dr. Daniel Daneshvar, the study's lead author.

Posted by Doc_Sarvis at 12:52 PM | 2 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry |

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Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, is a degenerative brain disease that can only be diagnosed with a brain dissection after death. Because of that, most research about the disease has relied on brains donated to researchers by families or by individuals themselves, many of whom had seen or experienced symptoms, such as memory loss or major mood swings, that led them to believe they might have the disease.

That dynamic has long muddied the picture about the actual prevalence of CTE " especially for combat veterans exposed to traumatic brain injuries, or current and former elite-level athletes in contact sports like American football and ice hockey, where blows to the body and head are a regular occurrence.

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Not worth it.

#1 | Posted by Doc_Sarvis at 2026-08-25 01:20 PM | Reply

Last century in NYC on occasion we'd come across an elderly pugilist who was universally described as "punch drunk," another victim of CTE.

For the sake of profit or glory, the US system inflicts injuries on it own people and manipulates or adjusts the terminology of the affliction.

The First World War gave our veterans "shell shock," drug addiction (opiates for pain reduction of grievous wounds), the Spanish Flu, and the "Lost Generation."

So in 1919, that's PTSD, opioid addiction, COVID, and another discussion about generational differences.

Our rich literary and cinematic catalog briefly touches upon these issues: "The Red Badge of Courage," "The Man wuth the Golden Arm," and "Rambo," but otherwise we glorify war, conquest, and athletic achievement.

During the US Civil War -- A. Lincoln who never killed anybody in a duel or combat against the Blackfoot warriors -- recognized fear and PTSD and pardoned any deserter he heard about or came across. On the other hand, General George "Blood and Guts" Patton allegedly slapped a GI suffering from PTSD during WWII.

CTE, PTSD, drug addiction, and permanent hearing loss will fester within the US population for a long time thanks to the "Forever Wars," the NFL, and combat sports (UFC), and the US doesn't have affordable or universal healthcare to treat these patients.

#2 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2026-08-25 03:24 PM | Reply