New Study Finds That CTE Is Found In 99% Of The Brains Of Dead NFL Players

For years, Roger Goodell and the NFL have been trying to blur the reality of concussions. Last year, the New York Times  published an expose on the league’s deeply flawed concussion research, citing the NFL omitted 100 diagnosed concussions from its supposedly all-encompassing study from 1996-2001, thus downplaying the risks of playing football.

In June 2015, a federal judge approved a class-action lawsuit settlement between the NFL and thousands of former players, granting up to $5 million per player for medical conditions associated with repeated head trauma. This occurred one year before the NFL even publicly acknowledged the correlation before football and CTE.

Well,  a new study published Tuesday in the medical journal JAMA found that chronic traumatic encephalopathy, known as CTE, was found in 99% of deceased NFL players’ brains that were donated to scientific research, CNN reports.

CTE is typically marked by a buildup of abnormal tau protein in the brain that can disable neuropathways and lead to memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, aggression, depression, anxiety, impulse control issues and occasionally suicidal behavior.

Dr. Ann McKee, director of Boston University’s CTE Center and coauthor of the new study, said:

“There’s no question that there’s a problem in football. That people who play football are at risk for this disease. And we urgently need to find answers for not just football players, but veterans and other individuals exposed to head trauma.”

In a statement to CNN, the NFL had this to say about the findings.

“The medical and scientific communities will benefit from this publication and the NFL will continue to work with a wide range of experts to improve the health of current and former NFL athletes….there are still many unanswered questions relating to the cause, incidence and prevalence of long-term effects of head trauma such as CTE.”

Anything to add, Rog?

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Didn’t think so.

[h/t CNN]

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Matt’s love of writing was born during a sixth grade assembly when it was announced that his essay titled “Why Drugs Are Bad” had taken first prize in D.A.R.E.’s grade-wide contest. The anti-drug people gave him a $50 savings bond for his brave contribution to crime-fighting, and upon the bond’s maturity 10 years later, he used it to buy his very first bag of marijuana.