Study Estimates CTE in About 75% of Former NFL Players Who Died From 2008 to 2023
A study published in JAMA Network Open estimates that around 75% of former NFL players who died between 2008 and 2023 had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The figure is adjusted to account for potential biases in brain donation data.
Tallahassee Thomasville, FL, October 28, 2026 —
A study published in JAMA Network Open estimates that around 75% of former National Football League players who died between 2008 and 2023 had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.
The figure is an adjusted estimate that accounts for potential biases in brain donation data. The researchers used the adjustment to provide a clearer estimate of the disease’s prevalence among the former players covered by the study, according to the information provided about the findings.
CTE is a neurodegenerative disease linked to repetitive head impacts. The reported estimate concerns former NFL players who died during the specified period; it is not an estimate of the proportion of all former players, including those who are living, who have the disease.
The summary of the study does not provide the number of players included, details of the adjustment, or the estimate before adjustment. It also does not specify the uncertainty range around the 75% figure. Those details would help readers assess how the estimate was calculated and how precisely it describes the population studied.
Because the estimate addresses a group of deceased former players and adjusts for possible selection bias in brain donations, it should be understood within that scope. The figure does not, on its own, establish the prevalence of CTE among all former NFL players. The information provided also does not include further findings or recommendations from the study.
Story summarized from the original created by Diana Anos, Nadia Kounang on www.wtxl.com, see more information here.
