Least 25% of NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 had CTE, study shows

At least 25% of NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 were found to have CTE, according to a study published Tuesday in the British Medical Journal. Researchers examined 878 players who appeared in at least one NFL game and died during the six-year period; brain donations were available for 235 of them. Of those 235 donated brains, 215 had CTE. Because CTE can only be diagnosed after death, the estimate depends on donated tissue from players or families. Lead author Dr. Daniel Daneshvar said the 25% figure is likely a low-end estimate and that the true rate may be “somewhere in the middle.”