• Posted August 26, 2026

At Least 1 In 4 NFL Players Who Died Recently Had Impact-Related Brain Damage, Study Finds

At least 1 in 4 former NFL players who died in recent years suffered from brain damage linked to repeated head impacts, a new study says.

That rate may be on the lower end, based on how many players donated their brain for research.

More than 91% of the 235 brains donated by former NFL players between 2016 and 2021 showed signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease associated with repeated blows to the head.

During that period, 878 former NFL players died, researchers said. Out of the 235 brains donated, 215 had CTE. 

That means that the overall rate of CTE among pro football players must fall somewhere between 25% to 98%, researchers estimate in The BMJ. The findings were published Aug. 25.

“Community brain bank studies have shown that CTE affects less than 1% of the general population,” lead researcher Dr. Daniel Daneshvar said in a news release.

“To find that somewhere between 24.5% and 97.7% of NFL players from that time period had this progressive brain disease is a wake-up call for the NFL and scientific communities,” Daneshvar said. He’s chair of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Mass General Brigham.

Results also showed that 3 in 5 (61%) of the players with CTE met clinical criteria for dementia, and that severe CTE was more frequently associated with dementia.

Currently, CTE can only be definitively diagnosed through examination of brain tissue after death, researchers said in background notes.

For the new study, researchers analyzed the autopsy data drawn from the 235 brains donated between 2016 and 2021, which was the highest donation period among former NFL players.

They then applied what they learned to estimate overall CTE rates among all pro football players.

The most conservative estimate assumes that the 215 confirmed cases of CTE were the only ones among all 878 deceased players, amounting to a rate of nearly 25%, researchers said.

Going to the other extreme — assuming that every player who didn’t donate their brain had CTE — results in an estimated rate of 98%, researchers said.

The true rate likely lies somewhere in the middle, researchers said.

Researchers also found that 96% of brain donors with dementia also had signs of CTE in their brains.

“We recognize that these findings will be concerning for NFL players and their families, and we want them to know that help is available,” said senior researcher Dr. Jesse Mez, an associate professor of neurology at the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and co-director of clinical research at the Boston University CTE Center.

“We have treatments for many symptoms believed to be associated with CTE, and in our clinic we find that symptoms can improve with proper medical care,” Mez added in a news release.

The research team urges former NFL players concerned about their brain health to seek evaluation by a doctor who specializes in degenerative brain diseases.

They said future studies should examine athletes who’ve played more recently. In the meantime, prevention should focus on reducing the repetitive head impacts that drive CTE risk, not just concussions, they added.

More information

Cleveland Clinic has more about chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

SOURCES: Mass General Brigham, news release, Aug. 25, 2026; BMJ, news release, Aug. 25, 2026