New Study Finds Roughly Three-Quarters of Deceased National Football League (NFL) Players Likely Had CTE

Researchers at Boston University, Mass General Brigham and the Concussion & CTE Foundation published a JAMA Network Open analysis on October 28, 2026 estimating that 74.5 % of the 2,362 former NFL players who died between 2008 and 2023 showed chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) neuropathology. The estimate adjusts for the fact that families of players with cognitive symptoms were about five times more likely to donate brains. Among the 396 brains donated, 362 (94 %) had CTE.

MedscapeWPRI - ProvidenceKTVT - Dallas - Fort Worth NewsWHDH - Boston NewsStudy Estimates 75% of Deceased NFL Players Had CTE Between 2008 and 2023 Bleacher Report

Earlier work published in August 2026 in the BMJ reported a prevalence range of 25 %–98 % for the same cohort, reflecting uncertainty about selection bias. The new study links the UNITE brain-bank data with National Death Index records, providing a population-level prevalence figure for the first time.

Newsday

• Deceased players examined: 2,362

Sports Business Journal

• Brain donors: 396 (? 17 % of the cohort)

Nearly 75 Percent of Former NFL Players Had Brain Disease CTE, According to New Boston University–Led Study

• Donors with CTE: 362 (94 %)

KTVT - Dallas - Fort Worth News

• Adjusted overall prevalence: 74.5 % (? 1,760 players)

New Study Estimates Three in Four Former NFL Players Died With CTE

• Estimated dementia prevalence: 27.2 %

New Study Estimates Three in Four Former NFL Players Died With CTE

Sensitivity analyses with more conservative assumptions still yielded a minimum estimate above 60 %.

Medscape

CTE is linked to repetitive head impacts; its prevalence in general-population brain banks is < 1 %. The findings highlight a substantial public-health burden for former professional football players and suggest current safety measures may not fully mitigate long-term risk. Researchers note the disease is preventable if exposure to head impacts is reduced, underscoring the need for earlier-age safety interventions and better diagnostic tools for living athletes.

LA Times

Dr. She also warned that “those who died earlier who had CTE may have been more likely to die due to CTE-related diseases, which may not be reflective of those who will still live for many years.”

UsNews and World Report

He urged the football community to use the data as a “scouting report” to improve safety for future generations.

ESPN

• August 2026 BMJ analysis estimated a minimum of 25 % prevalence, with a possible maximum near 98 %.

New Study Estimates Three in Four Former NFL Players Died With CTE

• Earlier autopsy-only studies reported CTE in up to 99 % of donated brains, but those samples were heavily biased toward symptomatic individuals.

Nearly 75 Percent of Former NFL Players Had Brain Disease CTE, According to New Boston University–Led Study

• The current estimate applies only to deceased players; prevalence among living former players, active athletes, or participants at the college and youth levels remains unknown.

Bleacher Report

• “It’s hard to learn what the guys who built the game have suffered through,” — Matt Hasselbeck, 18-year NFL veteran

UsNews and World Report

• “No other environmental or occupational exposure ever studied is known to have increased dementia risk at death by that amount,” — Yorghos Tripodis, senior author

LA Times

• “CTE is a preventable disease. We find, in study after study, that the more blows to the head over your lifetime, the higher the risk of CTE,” — Yorghos Tripodis, senior author

Scientific American