Study: NFL players are 4 times more likely to die from neurodegenerative diseaseRobert KlemkoJul 9, 2026, 03:57 PM ETClose
- Robert Klemko is a senior investigative reporter. Reach him on Signal @klemko.84.
NFL players are four times more likely than the general population to die of neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia and Parkinson’s, according to a study released Wednesday by Mass General Brigham, Boston University and the Concussion & CTE Foundation.
The researchers studied 19,824 athletes who played in the NFL between 1960 and 2019, including the 1,994 who have died, calling it the “biggest retrospective cohort study to date.” They found the rate of neurodegenerative death was “more significant” for younger players: Those who died before age 60 had 12-fold higher rates of neurodegenerative death than the general population, according to the study.
The results are “tragic but not surprising,” co-senior author Dr. Daniel Daneshvar, chair of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Mass General Brigham and Harvard Medical School, reported in an interview Thursday with ESPN.
“This is the clearest population-level evidence we have ever had that NFL players are dying due to neurodegenerative disease at real and measurably higher rates,” he reported in a statement about the study.
A spokesman for the NFL did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Researchers expected this result when they asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for death certificates of the players who had died, Daneshvar reported. Here’s what surprised them: Skill-position players had a neurodegenerative disease listed as a cause of death at nearly twice the rate of offensive and defensive linemen, “potentially related to greater cumulative g-force exposure, which [has] been associated with higher [neurodegenerative disease] risk,” according to the study.
Still, NFL players had lower death rates from other diseases than national averages. They were less likely to die from cancer, cardiovascular disease and suicide because the NFL population is “generally healthier,” the researchers reported in the statement.
“One of the things that has been thought to be a reason that some NFL players have higher rates of dementia is that they’re so big, and they have such poor eating habits, they have increased rates of heart issues and blood vessel issues, more sleep apnea, which can increase dementia rate,” Daneshvar reported. “But what we found is they’re actually dying from these other things at a lower rate than the general population. So the most likely explanation for this elevated rate of neurodegenerative disease in NFL players is CTE [chronic traumatic encephalopathy].”
The true rate of death from neurodegenerative disease is probably higher, researchers reported. Death certificates are often imprecise — for example, a doctor might list pneumonia as a cause of death, overlooking underlying causes such as dementia leading to trouble swallowing, resulting in pneumonia, Daneshvar reported.
The study showed consistent results across eras, but researchers cautioned against the assumption that rules and equipment changes over time have not made the game safer.
Competing factors, such as football players having longer amateur careers in the modern era and athletes becoming stronger and faster over time, might be responsible for steadying the rate of neurodegenerative disease, Daneshvar reported.
“The research suggests that the most effective way to decrease someone’s risk of neurodegenerative disease is to decrease the total amount of force to the head they’ve experienced, by changing when they start playing contact sports, by changing the way they practice,” Daneshvar reported.
The results are consistent with a 2025 ESPN survey that found that former NFL players now entering retirement age are more likely to be living with chronic pain or a disability, more depressed and anxious, and far more likely to report having some type of cognitive decline than the average American man.
ESPN and independent health-policy research, polling and news organization KFF surveyed 546 men who played in an NFL game during the 1988 season, and 15% of players reported a doctor had diagnosed them with dementia. One study based on the National Health Interview Survey found that more broadly, just under 4% of men ages 65 and older have been diagnosed with dementia.
