Boston University Study Estimates 75% of Deceased Former NFL Players Had CTE
A Boston University-led team announced in late October 2026 that about 75% of former NFL players who died between 2008 and 2023 showed signs of CTE, the dementia-like condition linked to repeated blows to the head.
1 source 18h ago
Reporting from 1 source: GIGAZINE.
Why it matters
The bias-corrected estimate puts the prevalence at roughly three times the one-in-four figure from earlier work, which is the number the beat will now have to argue against.
Key Facts
- A Boston University-led team announced the estimate in late October 2026.
- About 75% of former NFL players who died between 2008 and 2023 showed signs of CTE.
- Of 387 donated brains, 93% showed signs of CTE.
- The corrected estimate is about 74.5%, or roughly 1,760 players.
- Earlier studies estimated one in four former NFL players had CTE.
The estimate rests on brain data from 387 donated brains plus statistical correction for the bias that has dogged earlier donation-based figures.
The analysis covered 2,362 former NFL players who died between 2008 and 2023. Of the 387 whose brains were donated for research, 93% showed signs of CTE. The team led by Yorgos Tripodis, statistics and data management director at the Boston University Alzheimer's Disease and CTE Center, added age at death and estimated rates of mild cognitive impairment and dementia among former players aged 50 and older to correct for donation bias.
The corrected figure comes to about 74.5%, or roughly 1,760 players. Earlier donation-based studies drew criticism because people with cognitive decline, or their families, are more likely to donate a brain or request an autopsy.
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