The Weight of the Game: New Study Sheds Light on NFL's Neurodegenerative Disease Epidemic A recent study has revealed that National Football League players are four times more likely to die from neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia and Parkinson's than the general population.
Conducted by Mass General Brigham, Boston University, and the Concussion & CTE Foundation, the research analyzed an unprecedented 19,824 athletes who played in the NFL between 1960 and 2019.
The statistics are stark: those who died before age 60 had a 12 fold higher rate of neurodegenerative death than the general population.