The NFL continues to be haunted over its concussion crisis.
PBS Frontline is reporting that 87 out of 91 deceased NFL players have tested positive for the brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), as researchers with the Department of Veterans Affairs and Boston University recently identified. Forty percent of those tested were offensive and defensive lineman who collide during every snap of every game.
CTE is believed to stem from repetitive concussions and head trauma and can lead to a variety of concerning issues, ranging from memory loss to bursts of anger, dementia, depression and even early death. In total, researchers have discovered CTE in the brain tissue of 131 of 165 deceased players, who played some level of football within the range of high school, college, semi-pro and professional.
Although CTE can only be identified posthumously, Dr. Ann McKee, director and chief of neuropathology at the VA Boston Healthcare System, says this set of latest numbers are "remarkably consistent."
"People think that we're blowing this out of proportion, that this is a very rare disease and that we're sensationalizing it," McKee told PBS Frontline. "My response is that where I sit, this is a very real disease. We have had no problem identifying it in hundreds of players."
An NFL spokesperson responded:
"We are dedicated to making football safer and continue to take steps to protect players, including rule changes, advanced sideline technology, and expanded medical resources. We continue to make significant investments in independent research through our gifts to Boston University, the [National Institutes of Health] and other efforts to accelerate the science and understanding of these issues."
This past April, courts ruled for the NFL to pay a potential $1 billion settlement to approximately 5,000 former players who sued the league over head injuries.
Shedding more light on the way CTE plagues NFL players is the upcoming film, Concussion, which has Will Smith portraying Dr. Bennet Omalu, who discovered CTE in the brain of late Pittsburgh Steelers center Mike Webster.
