Study reports up to 25% of sampled NFL players had CTE at death, sparking calls for league-wide action

Researchers in the Boston area examined the brains of a sample of former NFL players and found that about one quarter showed signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy at death. The authors noted that this figure could be a low estimate, with the possibility of prevalence as high as 98% in other contexts.

The study authors warned that the results should not be taken as representative of all football participants, but the NFL Players Association cited the data as a call to action for the sport’s entire ecosystem.

Emily Harrison, a historian of science and public health, argues that the media’s reaction treats the statistic as a landmark event, even though the authors themselves emphasized the study’s limitations.