Deceased NFL Players test Positive for CTE

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) has been identified in 96% of the deceased NFL players that have been examined by researchers with the Department of Veterans Affairs and Boston University. Signs of CTE can be identified in living persons using brain scans, but as yet the disease can only be positively identified posthumously. Researchers believe that CTE comes from repetitive trauma to the head.  The recent data from the research might be skewed since the study uses brains that have been donated for testing, and many of the individuals who have made provisions for posthumous testing have done so because they suspected CTE. However, in an interview with Frontline, Dr. Ann McKee, Chief of Neuropathology with the VA Boston Healthcare System said the latest numbers were  “remarkably consistent” with past research suggesting a link between football and CTE.

The bottom line is this:  CTE is real and it is seen at high rate in the brain tissue of athletes who were subjected to repeated head trauma. And in a cruel twist, the NFL Concussion Settlement will provide no awards for players who die from CTE after the settlement date.