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Study finds roughly 75% of deceased NFL players had at least some degree of CTE brain disease

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Morik, R. (2026, October 29). Study finds roughly 75% of deceased NFL players had at least some degree of CTE brain disease. Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-sports/study-finds-roughly-75-percent-deceased-nfl-players-had-least-some-degree-cte-brain-disease

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Fox News · collected 2026-10-29 · by Ryan Morik

Quick Summary

A study by Boston University researchers found that approximately 75% of deceased National Football League (NFL) players had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The study analyzed over 2,300 former NFL players aged 80 or older who died between 2008 and 2023, with nearly 400 donating their brains for research. Among the donors, 93.5% were diagnosed with CTE, indicating a high likelihood of underreporting due to lower donation rates from asymptomatic players. The study also noted that players with clear cognitive symptoms were about five times more likely to donate their brains than those without such symptoms.
Written by AI on 2026-10-29, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

A new study published by JAMA Network Open estimates that 75% of former NFL players who died between 2008 and 2023 had signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head impacts. The research, led by Boston University, examined the brains of nearly 400 deceased players, with about 93.5% showing evidence of CTE. This is significantly higher than the less than 1% prevalence in the general population. Researchers noted that while not everyone with CTE will experience cognitive decline or dementia, the high rate among former NFL players raises concerns and underscores the need for better diagnosis and treatment methods during life. The NFL responded by stating its commitment to making football safer, including efforts to reduce concussions and head impacts.

Written for “Study Finds High CTE Rate in Deceased NFL Players” on 2026-11-05, grounded in this article and the 5 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Study Finds High CTE Rate in Deceased NFL Players
Health · 6 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 19% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
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Hedges 2 of 21 claims Outlet record 65/100
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Hedges 8 of 37 claims Outlet record 65/100
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Hedges 2 of 41 claims Outlet record 78/100
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Hedges 0 of 2 claims Outlet record 65/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
16
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
19%
3 of 16 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
68/100
Fox News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
6
Health
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-29 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Fox News · 6677 article(s) · 13 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 13 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Ryan Morik
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🔮 Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive, degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head impacts rather than a single injury, according to the Mayo Clinic.
2026-10-29 · assertive framing · Study finds roughly 75% of deceased NFL players had at least some degree of CTE brain disease
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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 54 articles by Ryan Morik →

Topics

Boston University NFL OutKick the Mayo Clinic

Subjects

NFL ORG · 4× Bennet Omalu PERSON · 1× Boston University ORG · 1× Frank Gifford PERSON · 1× Junior Seau PERSON · 1× Mike Webster PERSON · 1× OutKick ORG · 1× Scott Thompson PERSON · 1× Webster PERSON · 1× the Mayo Clinic ORG · 1×

Narrative

While the disease was first found in boxers, it has become associated with football players in this modern era due to the repeated blows to the head sustained on every snap of the ball.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-29
🔮 Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive, degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head impacts rather than a single injury, according to the Mayo Clinic.
2026-10-29 · Fox News
Study finds roughly 75% of deceased NFL players had at least some degree of CTE brain disease · assertive framing

Claims (16 extracted, 3 hedged)

A recent study found that roughly 75% of deceased NFL players had at least some case of CTE. asserted
% → find → CTE
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive, degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head impacts rather than a single injury, according to the Mayo Clinic. uncertain
encephalopathy → link → Clinic
The study from Boston University researchers consisted of more than 2,300 deceased former players aged 80 or older who died between 2008 and 2023, nearly 400 of whom were donors. asserted
400 → consist → whom
Out of the 396 who donated their brains to research, 93.5% of them were diagnosed. asserted
% → donate → them
Researchers estimated that former NFL players with clear cognitive symptoms were roughly five times more likely to donate their brains than those without such symptoms. asserted
players → estimate → symptoms
Donors also died younger on average - 67 years old compared to almost 75. CTE can only be diagnosed after death and is identified in four stages, with stage 4 being the worst. asserted
stage → die → stages
"Many cases may have been early stage at the time of death and possibly symptom free," the study noted. uncertain
study → note → death
The study also estimated that 27.2% of the players had a history of all-cause dementia during life, but it did not conclude whether dementia was caused by CTE. asserted
dementia → estimate → CTE
A study released in August found that at least 1 in 4 people who have played in the NFL might expect to end up with CTE at some point in their lives. uncertain
who → release → lives
The symptoms found in those with CTE include memory loss, mood swings, erratic behavioral actions and more. asserted
symptoms → find → loss
While the disease was first found in boxers, it has become associated with football players in this modern era due to the repeated blows to the head sustained on every snap of the ball. asserted
it → find → ball
It has, however, also been found in athletes participating in hockey, rugby and other sports. asserted
It → find → hockey
But its connection to football became public when beloved players like Junior Seau, Mike Webster, Frank Gifford and others were diagnosed with CTE after their deaths. asserted
players → become → deaths
Webster was dubbed "Patient Zero" after Dr. Bennet Omalu examined his brain and became the first to diagnose an NFL player with CTE, jump-starting a concussion crisis within the game. asserted
Omalu → dub → game
There were 168 documented in-game concussions during the 2025 NFL season, which was a 30% increase from the 129 recorded during the 2024 campaign. asserted
which → be → campaign
OutKick's Scott Thompson contributed to this report. asserted
Thompson → contribute → report
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