According to U.S. News and World Report, researchers at the Boston University CTE Center announced that they have diagnosed CTE in the brains of 345 out of 376 (91.7%) of NFL players studied…By contrast, a 2018 Boston University study of 164 donated brains found just one (0.6%) with CTE. The one CTE case was in a former college football player.
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE, is a brain disease that develops after repeated blows to the head and can lead to memory loss, dementia, and depression. As CTE progresses, there is a notable buildup of tau, an abnormal protein in the brain.Cognitive impairments often associated with the disease include trouble thinking, memory loss, and problems with organization.
Patients with CTE also experience a number of similar mood disorders, such as depression, suicidal thoughts, emotional instability and substance misuse. Other common issues include impulsive behavior, aggression, problems with walking and balance and even diseases like Parkinsonism and Motor neuron disease.
There have been a plethora of confirmed cases of CTE within the world of football since 2013. These results reconstructed the public’s mindset on brain injuries in football and led to necessary rule changes.
In January of 2010, Hall of Fame linebacker Tiaina Baul “Junior” Seau publicly announced his retirement from the National Football League, already having been cemented as one of the greatest linebackers ever to grace the gridiron and a guaranteed first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee.
Less than two and a half years later, Seau was found dead inside his Oceanside, California home with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest. Junior Seau embodied the pinnacle of defenders in the NFL for over a decade. After countless untreated blows to the head, Seau found himself amid a slippery slope that led to severe depression and, ultimately, suicide.
Junior Seau embodied the pinnacle of brutal defenders in the NFL for over a decade. After countless untreated blows to the head, Seau found himself amid a slippery slope that led to severe depression and, ultimately, suicide.
Aside from Seau, many CTE cases in the 21st century left the football community in despair.
Dallas Cowboys three-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Troy Aikman is perhaps the most well-known athlete besides Seau to have struggled with concussions. Aikman was hospitalized after taking a knee to the head in the 1993 NFC Championship game. Aikman claims to have no recollection of this game. After suffering a number of concussions, Aikman voiced his concerns over the repercussions of repeated head injuries and eventually retired in April 2001.
In 1994, the NFL created the Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI) committee. However, it was evident that brain injuries were not a top priority to anybody. Elliot Pellman, the neurologist appointed as chair of this committee, publicly downplayed the severity of brain injuries for years.
In 2003, Pellman even allowed a player he examined to return to a game after being knocked out cold. Later that year, Chicago Bears fullback Merrill Hoge announced his retirement from football due to a series of concussions. The NFL commissioner at the time, Paul Tagliabue, completely disregarded the issue of concussions in the league.
In 2002, Dr. Bennet Omalu discovered the first case of CTE in an NFL player when he did an autopsy on former Pittsburgh Steelers star Mike Webster. Prior to his death, Webster filed a disability application in 1999, claiming his football career had given him dementia. The NFL Retirement Board ruled in Webster’s favor and deemed him permanently disabled due to head injuries he had sustained in the NFL.
The public response was that this was an isolated incident that would equate to a concern for others in the future. During the decade following Webster’s death, the NFL clashed with researchers who continued to unveil evidence supporting the correlation between numerous concussions and CTE. No matter how many separate studies reinforced clear concerns within the league, the NFL continued to turn a blind eye.
Dr. Omalu’s second confirmation of CTE was in September 2004, when former Pittsburgh Steeler Justin Strzelczyk died in a car crash at age 36. His third was in June of 2005 when former Steeler Terry Long committed suicide at the age of 45 by drinking antifreeze. His fourth was in November of 2006 when former Philadelphia Eagle Andre Waters committed suicide at the age of 44.
After Pellman disregarded and scrutinized each of Omalu’s findings, he resigned in February 2007. Ironically, Pellman’s resignation occurred just months before a study was published showing that concussed players are at increased risk for depression. The MTBI committee once again condemned this data. It was not until December 2009 that the NFL ordered a restructuring of the MTBI committee.
In February of 2011, former Chicago Bear Dave Duerson died when he shot himself in the chest and left a note requesting that his brain be studied. In August of that same year, former Atlanta Falcons safety Ray Easterling sued the league for concussions he had endured throughout his career. In April of 2012, just one month before Seau’s death turned the football world upside down, Easterling committed suicide at the age of 62 and was posthumously diagnosed with CTE.
Aaron Hernandez was a superstar tight end for the New England Patriots before he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in April 2015 for the murder of Odin Lloyd. Hernandez was accused of committing multiple separate murders but committed suicide at just 27 years old in prison in April of 2017.
Kansas City Chief Jovan Belcher killed his girlfriend before committing suicide in 2012. Former NFL defensive back Phillip Adams shot and killed six people in April of 2021 before committing suicide. An autopsy revealed CTE in the brains of Hernandez, Belcher, and Adams.
In August of 2012, the NFL funded “Heads Up Football,” a youth football initiative in America to promote brain safety in youth football. In January 2013, the NFL mandated that all 32 teams have a head-injury spotter in their press box and an independent neurologist on the sideline.
Additionally, a new concussion protocol was set in place that ensured any player who may be concussed is held out for their safety. In August of that year, helmet-led tackles were banned to minimize impact to the head. Later that month, the NFL agreed to pay a $765 million settlement in their lawsuit with retired players. However, it was not until 2016 that the NFL officially acknowledged a connection between CTE and football.
The players of the NFL were focused on both their own well-being and the future of the sport as widespread concerns over concussions increased.
CTE causes one to undergo a number of personality and attitude changes. If anything positive can be extracted from these tragedies, the NFL rulebook was revolutionized for the improved safety of the players.
CTE is a concern for football players at all levels. Lakeland Hawks star wide receiver Ezra Benson recently had to make the most difficult decision of his life: to retire from football forever due to four concussions he accumulated.
“I used to think it was a joke. You don’t realize how badly concussions have an impact on your day-to-day life until you experience one,” Benson said. “The fear of CTE is the sole reason for the decision. It could be a potentially deadly situation. It’s not something you want to mess around with.”
Benson temporarily lost his eyesight during his most recent concussion but still doesn’t think the style of the game should be changed in an effort to make it safer.
“You don’t want to have to change the game of football, but I wish it didn’t take such a toll on the body,” Benson said.
