Daniel Wolfram
The new study shows that 25% of former players, at minimum, have developed severe brain injury, but is the NFL doing anything to further prevent the brain disease?
A potential major scandal has just hit the National Football League (NFL).
At the same time that one of the owners was arrested for trying to solicit a prostitute, a brand-new medical study has revealed just how dangerous the sport of football is to play.
Weeks before the season is set to kick off, the focus on brain injuries caused by the brutality of the sport has just shocked the NFL world.
CTE found in nearly a quarter of the tested brains
Football of the American variety is often described as a mix between gladiatorial combat and chess. The chess part comes from the tactics and intricate scheming, while the gladiator part comes from the violent nature of the game and the repeated blows to the head.
Since chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a dangerous brain disease caused by repeated trauma to the head, was first connected to playing in the NFL 20 years ago, there has been speculation among medical professionals about how many NFL players will end up with the condition.
A new study has answered some of those questions. Unfortunately, there are no positive answers to the questions as nearly one in four who have played in the league is at major risk of ending up with CTE.
Dr. Daniel Daneshvar, the lead author of the newly conducted study, says that there is no doubt about what is causing this. “It’s a neurodegenerative disease where we know and have complete control over the risk.”
New data with nothing but bad news
The study conducted by medical researchers examined 235 deceased former players’ brains that were donated to them from 2016 to 2021. In total, there were 878 deaths of former players during that specific time period. At least 215 out of the 878 deceased players had confirmed CTE.
That is at least 24.5 percent of all the players who died between 2016–2021 and were diagnosed with the brain disease, although the number is likely much higher since they did not have the chance to examine the remaining 643 brains.
CTE is a brain disease that currently can only be traced post-mortem. There is no visible imaging that shows up on a medical examination to indicate CTE. Likewise, the symptoms are far-ranging, from memory loss to mood changes like depression or uncharacteristically aggressive behavior.
The NFL has spent years covering it up
The NFL is a multibillion-dollar business. Last year, the league made $23 billion in revenue. A widespread brain disease found in the players does not mesh well with the business plan. Since the ’90s, the NFL has been trying to downplay the risk of developing CTE when playing in the league.
But this new report might be hard to ignore, as are the testimonies from former players when talking about CTE.
“It’s not something that’s brought up, it’s not something that players want to talk about,” said Randy Grimes, who played center for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1983 to 1992. “We probably could move forward faster in our research if we did talk more about it. But players don’t want to do it. They don’t want to think they have it, they don’t want to think they’re seeing it. Deep down, we all know that probably the majority of us are going to have some form of C.T.E.”
Will the NFL act?
Former players also have a tendency to pass away earlier than the average life span in the US. Two of Grimes’ teammates have passed away and were subsequently diagnosed with CTE. They were 45 and 57 years old.
There have also been prominent legends and all-stars who have died by suicide. Hall of Famer Junior Seau died at the age of 43 and former Man of the Year recipient Dave Duerson only got to celebrate his 50th birthday before taking his own life.
Others, like Aaron Hernandez and Phillip Adams, were convicted murderers who also had CTE diagnosed in their brains. There is speculation that CTE from playing football contributed to their violent behavior.
The NFL pledges to make the game safer without going into detail about what specific changes it will entail.
“The NFL continuously strives to make the game of football safer, including by implementing strategies to reduce concussions and head impacts,” the league said in a statement. “The NFL remains committed to ensuring that the N.F.L. community has access to a robust — and expanding — set of resources to enhance their physical and mental well-being.”
Scientists hope to soon be able to clinically diagnose CTE in living people with the same certainty as when people with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s are diagnosed.
