New England Patriots
Nearly three-quarters of players who died between 2008 and 2023 were estimated to have the disease, according to research published in a peer-reviewed journal on Wednesday.
Mike Vrabel John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
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FOXBOROUGH – According to a study published in peer-reviewed journal JAMA Network Open on Wednesday, an estimated 74.5 percent of NFL players who died between 2008 and 2023 suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the neurodegenerative disease known as CTE.
The cohort examined in the study was made up of 2,362 deceased former NFL players, 396 of whom donated their brains. The rest were non-donors. Of the 396 who donated their brains, 93.5 percent had CTE. After “adjustment for differential brain donation, the estimated prevalence of CTE neuropathology among all 2362 decedents was 74.5 percent,” according to the paper. Those who experienced symptoms were about five times more likely to donate their brains, according to the study.
The lead author of the study is Julia Gallini, a PhD candidate at Boston University School of Public Health. She told the Boston Globe that while the results were concerning, they don’t necessarily mean that 75 percent of all NFL players will have CTE.
“We don’t know that number,” Gallini said. “The magnitude of this number, though, is very concerning. It still tells us we need to be concerned about the risk of current players developing CTE.”
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, who played in the NFL for 14 seasons before beginning his coaching career, was asked to reflect on the study’s findings during his press conference on Wednesday.
“I think the game has, I think the league has, I think that we’re aware of it,” Vrabel said. “But I would also say that for the better part of 20 years I knew what the risks were. Your kids were going have to see you laying there on the field, maybe knocked out unconscious, or getting another surgery, or breaking your arm, breaking your leg.
“That’s kind of how the players, at least that I know, are kind of wired. You love the game so much that you’re going to do whatever you can to play the game.”
Vrabel said the steps the NFL has taken to make the game safer of the years are good. He reiterated that he knew what he was signing up for when he decided to play.
“What the league has done and the players association – we should do everything that we possibly can,” Vrabel said. “To make sure that when our players leave the game, they can be husbands, they can be fathers, they can be friends, they can have a quality of life. They work hard for what they earn and they should be able to enjoy it with their family.”
Patriots safety Kevin Byard, now in his 11th NFL season, said football is a dangerous game. He accepts the risks that come with playing, but he also tries not to think about them.
“I think when you’re out on the football field there is a certain risk or a certain acceptance that’s like ‘hey, I play a violent sport,’” said Byard. “I can’t be thinking about CTE while I’m out on the field, you know what I mean? So, it is a reality. It’s something I think about for my kids.”
Players, coaches, and the league in general must keep taking steps to improve safety, Byard said.
“Less padded practices, [paying attention to] how we tackle and how we play the game,” Byard said. “Not basically, you know what I’m saying, trying to keep your head up on certain tackles. I think you do certain things, but the reality is that this is a violent sport.”
Khari A. Thompson
Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.
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