CTE Found In Nearly 90 Percent Of Brains Of Deceased Football Players In New JAMA Study

A reported published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that of 202 studied deceased football players’ brains, 177 were diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a form of brain trauma.

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The neurodegenerative brain disease CTE is caused by repeated blows to the head and has in recent years become a subject of much scrutiny and controversy as more and more football players — both amateur and professional — have been discovered to have been affected by the disease. CTE is pathologically marked by a buildup of abnormal tau protein in the brain that can shut down neurological pathways and cause several symptoms including memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, aggression, depression, anxiety, impulse control issues and occasionally even suicidal behavior.

“There’s no question that there’s a problem in football. That people who play football are at risk for this disease,” said Dr. Ann McKee, director of Boston University’s CTE Center and co-author of the new study. “And we urgently need to find answers for not just football players, but veterans and other individuals exposed to head trauma.”

The disease was diagnosed in 110 of 111 former NFL players, and a milder version of CTE was also found in three of the 14 high school players and 48 of the 53 college players, nine of 14 semi-professional players and seven of eight Canadian Football League players. Among the famous late pro football players to have been diagnosed are Ken Stabler, Kevin Turner, Bubba Smith and Dave Duerson.

Among the new players diagnosed is retired tight end Frank Wainright, whose 10-year NFL career included stints with the Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints and Baltimore Ravens. Wainright died in April 2016 at age 48 from a heart attack caused by bleeding in the brain, said his wife, Stacie. She added Wainwright had struggled almost eight years with frightening symptoms like confusion, memory loss and behavior changes.

Frank Wycheck, another former NFL tight end, expressed his concern that concussions he sustained throughout his nine-year career — the last seven with the Tennessee Titans — have left him with CTE and added he wishes to donate his brain for research.

“Some people have heads made of concrete, and it doesn’t really affect some of those guys,” the 45-year-old said. “But CTE is real.”

“I know I’m suffering through it, and it’s been a struggle and I feel for all the guys out there that are going through this,” said Wycheck.

The NFL didn’t publicly acknowledge a link between football and CTE until 2016. In June 2015, a judge approved a class-action lawsuit settlement between the league and thousands of former players. Up to $5 million was given to each retired player for severe medical conditions associated with repeated brain trauma.

“The NFL is committed to supporting scientific research into CTE and advancing progress in the prevention and treatment of head injuries,” the NFL statement on the study said. “In 2016, the NFL pledged $100 million in support for independent medical research and engineering advancements in neuroscience related topics. This is in addition to the $100 million that the NFL and its partners are already spending on medical and neuroscience research.”

The JAMA’s study also concluded that individuals reported to have displayed more behavioral mood symptoms throughout their lifetime were more likely to suffer from a milder versin of CTE. These symptoms were present in  96% of mild cases and 89% of severe cases. People with a mild buildup and distribution of tau were also more likely to have died by suicide. Those players with a greater buildup of tau, however, were more likely to have experienced cognitive symptoms like memory loss.

The behavioral and mood symptoms in people with mild disease evidence could be due to other influences, such as neuro-inflammation or axonal injury, which is an injury to the brain cells, McKee said.

Dr. Munro Cullum, a neuropsychologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, stated that the report is based on a selective sample of men who were not necessarily representative of all football players. He said problems other than CTE might explain some of their most common symptoms before death, such as depression, impulsivity and behavior changes. Cullum did not participate in the report.

The average age of death among all players studied was 66. Of the 177 players diagnosed, 18 committed suicide.

Another renown medical expert who helped bring the high occurrence of CTE in football players to light was Nigerian neuropathologist Dr. Bennett Omalu. His research in the 2000s was the subject of the 2015 film Concussion starring Will Smith. 

6 Oct 1997: Running back Kevin Turner of the Philadelphia Eagles moves the ball during a game against the Dallas Cowboys at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles won the game, 13-12. Mandatory Credit: Andy Lyons /Allsport