Study of Deceased Football Players Finds Widespread CTE


A new study offers the latest and perhaps most dramatic evidence of the neurological toll of football on those who play it.

Of 111 former NFL players, doctors found 110 cases of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, known more commonly as CTE.

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For the study, just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, doctors evaluated the donated brains of 202 deceased football players for signs of the degenerative disease caused by concussions and other brain trauma. Overall, 87 percent of former players at any level showed evidence of CTE, symptoms of which include erratic behavior, dementia and suicidal tendencies.

Joining Chicago Tonight to discuss the study is Peggy Mason, a professor of neurobiology at the University of Chicago.


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