Study Estimates At Least One-Quarter Of Deceased Ex-NFL Players Had CTE
A Mass General Brigham study estimated that nearly one-quarter of former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, researchers reported.[1]
CBS aired a television segment about the study on Tuesday, August 25, 2026 at 7:56 AM Central, and featured infectious-disease physician Dr. Céline Gounder to explain the findings.[2] The broadcast translated the study's technical prevalence range into a more accessible figure of roughly 25% and highlighted implications for players and head-injury risks.[2]
The estimate is based on deaths of former players during 2016-2021 and was presented by Mass General Brigham researchers as an overall prevalence projection among that group.[1] CBS said the findings reinforce ongoing questions about how the NFL and other contact-sport organizations address head trauma.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- The Mass General Brigham study estimated that nearly a quarter of former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
- A CBS segment about the study aired on Tuesday, August 25, 2026 at 7:56 AM Central.
- In the CBS segment, Dr. Céline Gounder appeared to explain the study's findings and their implications for players.
- The broadcast translated the study's technical prevalence range into an accessible figure of nearly 25% of deceased ex-NFL players in the 2016–2021 period having CTE.
- The CBS report emphasized the implications of the findings for NFL players and ongoing concerns about head-injury risks.
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- CBS aired a segment on August 25, 2026, highlighting that nearly a quarter of NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 had CTE, based on a Mass General Brigham study.
- Dr. Céline Gounder appeared in the CBS segment to explain the study's findings and implications for NFL players and head-injury risks.
- The broadcast reiterates the core estimate that roughly 25% of all deceased ex-NFL players in the 2016-2021 period had CTE, translating the technical prevalence range into a more accessible figure for the public.