A Boston University research group that studied the brains of 91 deceased former NFL players determined that 87 of the men, or 96 percent of the sample, suffered from some form of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
In a report published by PBS, Dr. Ann McKee revealed that her team has found evidence of CTE in the brain tissue of 131 of 165 individuals who played football either professional, semi-professionally, at the collegiate level or in high school. Evidence of CTE was found in 79 percent of all football players and 96 percent of former NFL players.
Of the 131 individuals who showed signs of CTE, 40 percent were offensive and defensive linemen. The findings support the notion that repetitive, more minor head trauma — like that a player who is in the trenches is exposed to — could pose a greater risk than violent collisions which don’t take place on every play.
McKee notes that one potential flaw of the study is that most players who donate their brains to science suspect they were suffering from brain disease while living. Since CTE can only be definitively identified after death, the sample could be skewed.
Having said that, the fact that CTE cannot be definitively identified while a person is living makes it even more frightening.
“People think that we’re blowing this out of proportion, that this is a very rare disease and that we’re sensationalizing it,” McKee said. “My response is that where I sit, this is a very real disease. We have had no problem identifying it in hundreds of players.”
McKee was inspired by the work of Dr. Bennet Omalu, who will be played by actor Will Smith in the upcoming film “Concussion.” You can see the trailer for the movie here.
CTE and brain damage are seemingly becoming an epidemic in the NFL and football as a whole. Some of the most extreme cases of players dealing with the disease have possibly contributed to tragedies like murder and suicide.
