Concussions, CTE, and other traumatic brain injuries in football

[ScriptOhio]

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/49562214/new-hall-famer-roger-craig-reveals-dementia-diagnosis

New Hall of Famer Roger Craig reveals dementia diagnosis​

New Hall of Famer Roger Craig revealed during his taped acceptance speech Saturday that he has been diagnosed with vascular dementia.

Craig, 66, said his doctors believe his condition came, in part, from concussions he sustained during his 11-year career as a running back. In his speech, Craig explained that "the changes were gradual" and were initially "dismissed as normal aging."

"Over time, my family noticed it too and ultimately led us to seek answers from my doctor," Craig said. "Two things can be true: Football gave me opportunities beyond anything I could imagine. It helped shape the man I became. At the same time, we know more today about brain health than when I played, and I hope sharing my story encourages people to pay attention to their health and seek help when something doesn't feel right."
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[ScriptOhio]

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/50311853/study-nearly-75-nfl-players-died-2008-23-had-cte

Study: Estimated 75% of NFL players who died from 2008 to 2023 had CTE​

An estimated 75% of former NFL players who died between 2008 and 2023 had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, the neurodegenerative brain disease tied to high-impact sports such as football, according to a new study released Wednesday.

The study, published in JAMA Network Open by researchers at Boston University, Mass General Brigham and the Concussion & CTE Foundation, said it marked the first comprehensive effort by scientists to understand the prevalence of CTE among deceased former NFL players.

Some of the same researchers published a paper in August that estimated that 1 in 4 former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 had CTE.

The neurodegenerative disease is diagnosable only after death, and research into finding a CTE test during life is ongoing.

The researchers cautioned that the estimate applies only to deceased NFL players and does not predict the prevalence of CTE in living NFL players. The study also doesn't address prevalence among college or youth football players. Among other caveats were that the study doesn't indicate what, if any, symptoms had manifested in the players that might have been related to CTE.

CTE is identified in stages ranging from I to IV based on severity. Symptoms often don't manifest in the earliest stages, according to researchers.

"Many cases may have been early stage at the time of death and possibly symptom free," the paper said.

Questions still remain about the prevalence of CTE in the lower levels of football at high schools and colleges. Researchers noted the lack of data on non-donors at lower levels of play as challenges to the research involving youth tackle football.
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continued

 

[Captain Buckeye]

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/50311853/study-nearly-75-nfl-players-died-2008-23-had-cte

Study: Estimated 75% of NFL players who died from 2008 to 2023 had CTE​

An estimated 75% of former NFL players who died between 2008 and 2023 had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, the neurodegenerative brain disease tied to high-impact sports such as football, according to a new study released Wednesday.

The study, published in JAMA Network Open by researchers at Boston University, Mass General Brigham and the Concussion & CTE Foundation, said it marked the first comprehensive effort by scientists to understand the prevalence of CTE among deceased former NFL players.

Some of the same researchers published a paper in August that estimated that 1 in 4 former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 had CTE.

The neurodegenerative disease is diagnosable only after death, and research into finding a CTE test during life is ongoing.

The researchers cautioned that the estimate applies only to deceased NFL players and does not predict the prevalence of CTE in living NFL players. The study also doesn't address prevalence among college or youth football players. Among other caveats were that the study doesn't indicate what, if any, symptoms had manifested in the players that might have been related to CTE.

CTE is identified in stages ranging from I to IV based on severity. Symptoms often don't manifest in the earliest stages, according to researchers.

"Many cases may have been early stage at the time of death and possibly symptom free," the paper said.

Questions still remain about the prevalence of CTE in the lower levels of football at high schools and colleges. Researchers noted the lack of data on non-donors at lower levels of play as challenges to the research involving youth tackle football.
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I’m sort of tired of hearing about CTE if I’m being honest. Football isn’t a safe thing to do. I think everyone who has played knew going in that it wasn’t great to take shots to the head.

Some drills in practice you just knew were going to suck and the ability to in real time size someone up and go “oh this is going to blow” before making a tackle happened every damn day.

We played anyway. I think it’s disingenuous to pretend like there’s shock that it wasn’t good for your brain to play football. If I knew it wasn’t healthy I think most know/knew too.

Kids and adults decide to play anyway. I think it’s established if you play you’re not going to be the same as if you hadn’t played. So no kidding that past players were likely to have CTE. It sucks but I think everyone knows that.

 

[ScriptOhio]

I’m sort of tired of hearing about CTE if I’m being honest. Football isn’t a safe thing to do. I think everyone who has played knew going in that it wasn’t great to take shots to the head.

Some drills in practice you just knew were going to suck and the ability to in real time size someone up and go “oh this is going to blow” before making a tackle happened every damn day.

We played anyway. I think it’s disingenuous to pretend like there’s shock that it wasn’t good for your brain to play football. If I knew it wasn’t healthy I think most know/knew too.

Kids and adults decide to play anyway. I think it’s established if you play you’re not going to be the same as if you hadn’t played. So no kidding that past players were likely to have CTE. It sucks but I think everyone knows that.

Google AI: The NFL concussion class-action lawsuit resulted in a landmark settlement providing billions in medical benefits and compensation for retired NFL players, though the fund continues to face legal scrutiny and audits over payout disputes and fraud.

Key Details of the Settlement & Lawsuit

• • The Settlement: In 2013 and finalized around 2015, the NFL agreed to an uncapped class-action settlement (initially valued at $765 million and growing past $1.5 billion in payouts) to resolve claims from over 20,000 retired players alleging the league hid concussion risks.
  • What is Covered: The NFL Concussion Settlement funds baseline medical exams (via the Baseline Assessment Program) and monetary awards ranging from $1.5 million up to $5 million for qualifying diagnoses like ALS, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, dementia, and post-mortem diagnoses of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).
  • Current Program Stats: As of October 2026, the settlement program lists over 20,564 registered class members, 4,657 claim packages received, and 2,226 payable monetary awards.

Major Controversies & Recent Developments

• • Fraud Allegations: In late 2026, special masters accused five law firms representing 98 players of scheming to defraud the settlement fund of more than $87 million by coordinating improper Parkinson's disease diagnoses.
  • Dementia Payout Denials: Investigative reports have highlighted that a high percentage of dementia claims filed through private-doctor evaluations were denied by fund administrators, drawing criticism from advocacy groups like the Brain Injury Association of America.
  • Ending Race-Norming: Following a civil rights lawsuit and public pressure, the NFL officially pledged to end "race-norming" in cognitive testing (which previously made it harder for Black retired players to qualify for dementia payouts) and committed to reviewing past scores for racial bias.
  • Recent CTE Research: A Boston University study published in October 2026 estimated that roughly 74.5% to 75% of studied former NFL players who died between 2008 and 2023 had CTE, keeping the spotlight on long-term brain trauma in football.

Just sayin': Yeah, tackle football is a dangerous sport; and as long the money is there, kids and adults will decide to play and there will undoubtedly still be concussions. Besides being the "right thing to do", the NFL has to keep doing the CTE research to try to make the sport safer to avoid more lawsuits like the one in 2013 per above.

It's no secret that soccer is the world's most popular sport and the MLS is (slowly) gaining in popularity in the US every year. It wouldn't surprise me that "in the year 2525" (or even a few years sooner) MLS salaries (and popularity) finally increases in the US to the level of Europe's and all those kids and adults that use to decide to play football anyway now decide to play soccer.

 

[Captain Buckeye]

Google AI: The NFL concussion class-action lawsuit resulted in a landmark settlement providing billions in medical benefits and compensation for retired NFL players, though the fund continues to face legal scrutiny and audits over payout disputes and fraud.

Key Details of the Settlement & Lawsuit

• • The Settlement: In 2013 and finalized around 2015, the NFL agreed to an uncapped class-action settlement (initially valued at $765 million and growing past $1.5 billion in payouts) to resolve claims from over 20,000 retired players alleging the league hid concussion risks.
  • What is Covered: The NFL Concussion Settlement funds baseline medical exams (via the Baseline Assessment Program) and monetary awards ranging from $1.5 million up to $5 million for qualifying diagnoses like ALS, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, dementia, and post-mortem diagnoses of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).
  • Current Program Stats: As of October 2026, the settlement program lists over 20,564 registered class members, 4,657 claim packages received, and 2,226 payable monetary awards.

Major Controversies & Recent Developments

• • Fraud Allegations: In late 2026, special masters accused five law firms representing 98 players of scheming to defraud the settlement fund of more than $87 million by coordinating improper Parkinson's disease diagnoses.
  • Dementia Payout Denials: Investigative reports have highlighted that a high percentage of dementia claims filed through private-doctor evaluations were denied by fund administrators, drawing criticism from advocacy groups like the Brain Injury Association of America.
  • Ending Race-Norming: Following a civil rights lawsuit and public pressure, the NFL officially pledged to end "race-norming" in cognitive testing (which previously made it harder for Black retired players to qualify for dementia payouts) and committed to reviewing past scores for racial bias.
  • Recent CTE Research: A Boston University study published in October 2026 estimated that roughly 74.5% to 75% of studied former NFL players who died between 2008 and 2023 had CTE, keeping the spotlight on long-term brain trauma in football.

Just sayin': Yeah, tackle football is a dangerous sport; and as long the money is there, kids and adults will decide to play and there will undoubtedly still be concussions. Besides being the "right thing to do", the NFL has to keep doing the CTE research to try to make the sport safer to avoid more lawsuits like the one in 2013 per above.

It's no secret that soccer is the world's most popular sport and the MLS is (slowly) gaining in popularity in the US every year. It wouldn't surprise me that "in the year 2525" (or even a few years sooner) MLS salaries (and popularity) finally increases in the US to the level of Europe's and all those kids and adults that use to decide to play football anyway now decide to play soccer.

Absolutely. My son is 2 years old and we’ll likely both love watching games together one day (at least I hope) but I’m going to introduce baseball and soccer in his early ages.

If he gets older and wants to play football then we can cross that bridge when we get there. But until he can protect himself and understand how to keep his head out of it I wouldn’t want him to.

It’s wild how we played football even in 2004 when I was playing. Bull in the ring, Oklahoma drills, full go scrimmage, etc. Not even including padded two a days in summer heat. I’m shocked more kids haven’t died to be honest in the earlier years when football was really full go.

 

[Jaxbuck]

Accepting the risks of a contact sport and accepting the risk of a specific brain disease caused by that sport which can degrade and shorten your very life are two different things.

No one knew what CTE was back in the day so disingenuous to say you played football you knew the risks.

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

I’m sort of tired of hearing about CTE if I’m being honest. Football isn’t a safe thing to do. I think everyone who has played knew going in that it wasn’t great to take shots to the head.

Some drills in practice you just knew were going to suck and the ability to in real time size someone up and go “oh this is going to blow” before making a tackle happened every damn day.

We played anyway. I think it’s disingenuous to pretend like there’s shock that it wasn’t good for your brain to play football. If I knew it wasn’t healthy I think most know/knew too.

Kids and adults decide to play anyway. I think it’s established if you play you’re not going to be the same as if you hadn’t played. So no kidding that past players were likely to have CTE. It sucks but I think everyone knows that.

For 20+ years, the NFL did everything they could to deny/discredit any link between concussions and CTE. Yes, everybody knew that concussions were bad for you in the short-term, but when the league is employing doctors to deny the existence of long-term brain damage as a result of concussions, I don't know how you can argue that "everybody knew the risks". You may have known some of the risks, but the full extent of those risks absolutely was NOT widely known and a massive billion dollar organization was hiring doctors/scientists to undermine any research that tried to make those long-term risks known.

Look at players that were clearly concussed and put back into the game over the years. That shit was so fucked up. Ask someone who's just suffered a brain injury to make a decision about whether they are okay to go take some more shots to the head? Jesus....that person is in no position to make that decision. Clearly, there either was not an understanding of all the risks or there was a blatant disregard of medical science. Either way, it's totally fucked.

And sending fucking kids out there to take those same kind of hits is also pretty fucked up. 15 year-old kid can't drive, vote, or drink because his brain isn't fully developed, but yeah....he wants to go get hit in the head of bunch of times? Sure, why not?

Without trying to make this personal, have you considered what effect all of those blows to the head you took while your brain was still developing may be why you struggle with some of the things you struggle with now as an adult?

(EDIT -- And I mean that question in a sincere way -- definitely not in an insulting way. You've been pretty open about some of your struggles with substances and anger and those are things that can be tied into CTE. I'm not trying to suggest you have brain damage as a demeaning thing. )

 

[Captain Buckeye]

For 20+ years, the NFL did everything they could to deny/discredit any link between concussions and CTE. Yes, everybody knew that concussions were bad for you in the short-term, but when the league is employing doctors to deny the existence of long-term brain damage as a result of concussions, I don't know how you can argue that "everybody knew the risks". You may have known some of the risks, but the full extent of those risks absolutely was NOT widely known and a massive billion dollar organization was hiring doctors/scientists to undermine any research that tried to make those long-term risks known.

Look at players that were clearly concussed and put back into the game over the years. That shit was so fucked up. Ask someone who's just suffered a brain injury to make a decision about whether they are okay to go take some more shots to the head? Jesus....that person is in no position to make that decision. Clearly, there either was not an understanding of all the risks or there was a blatant disregard of medical science. Either way, it's totally fucked.

And sending fucking kids out there to take those same kind of hits is also pretty fucked up. 15 year-old kid can't drive, vote, or drink because his brain isn't fully developed, but yeah....he wants to go get hit in the head of bunch of times? Sure, why not?

Without trying to make this personal, have you considered what effect all of those blows to the head you took while your brain was still developing may be why you struggle with some of the things you struggle with now as an adult?

(EDIT -- And I mean that question in a sincere way -- definitely not in an insulting way. You've been pretty open about some of your struggles with substances and anger and those are things that can be tied into CTE. I'm not trying to suggest you have brain damage as a demeaning thing. )

Oh 100%. I just knew it wasn’t a healthy sport to play but accepted the risks to play a sport I loved.

I agree with you that players being sent back into games should be accounted for.

What my point was/is, to pretend like we didn’t know football was dangerous or terrible for your brain is BS. I have no education with CTE symptoms etc but how did I instinctively know “I shouldn’t be doing this but fuck it anyway”.

What I’m tired of is that it’s a shock football players or any trauma sport have issues with CTE. There’s zero way to take that out of the physical sports. You just make different decisions to play different sports.

How many of these players who have serious issues with CTE would do it again if they could go back? I’d venture to guess most. Again I absolutely think those who forced or encouraged players to go back into the game should pay that price. But otherwise the players (myself included) made the choice to play the most violent sport ever created. If I could do it again, I wouldn’t have quit baseball to pursue football. I am way more passionate about football which is what won out but I was a better baseball player. My size alone I should’ve known (at my biggest 5’10 225) I was best suited for baseball but hey I made that choice even though I knew the risks.

 

[jakenick06]

For 20+ years, the NFL did everything they could to deny/discredit any link between concussions and CTE. Yes, everybody knew that concussions were bad for you in the short-term, but when the league is employing doctors to deny the existence of long-term brain damage as a result of concussions, I don't know how you can argue that "everybody knew the risks". You may have known some of the risks, but the full extent of those risks absolutely was NOT widely known and a massive billion dollar organization was hiring doctors/scientists to undermine any research that tried to make those long-term risks known.

Look at players that were clearly concussed and put back into the game over the years. That shit was so fucked up. Ask someone who's just suffered a brain injury to make a decision about whether they are okay to go take some more shots to the head? Jesus....that person is in no position to make that decision. Clearly, there either was not an understanding of all the risks or there was a blatant disregard of medical science. Either way, it's totally fucked.

And sending fucking kids out there to take those same kind of hits is also pretty fucked up. 15 year-old kid can't drive, vote, or drink because his brain isn't fully developed, but yeah....he wants to go get hit in the head of bunch of times? Sure, why not?

Without trying to make this personal, have you considered what effect all of those blows to the head you took while your brain was still developing may be why you struggle with some of the things you struggle with now as an adult?

(EDIT -- And I mean that question in a sincere way -- definitely not in an insulting way. You've been pretty open about some of your struggles with substances and anger and those are things that can be tied into CTE. I'm not trying to suggest you have brain damage as a demeaning thing. )

Spot fucking on - and couple this with the ongoing capitalization and sociological exploitation and there should be some VERY DIFFICULT discussions with a lot of people.

 

[zbuck]

Accepting the risks of a contact sport and accepting the risk of a specific brain disease caused by that sport which can degrade and shorten your very life are two different things.

No one knew what CTE was back in the day so disingenuous to say you played football you knew the risks.

My closest personal story regarding this .....

One of my past business partners was Clay Matthews Sr. Clay was born in Charleston, SC and was world class athlete. AAU boxing champ and played his football at Georgia Tech. Got drafted by the 49ers and played in the NFL for 4-5 seasons until he served in the US Army in Korea. Clay was an incredibly bright dude. Engineering degree and a way of working with people. He was CEO of 2 different publicly held companies.

Clay and Daisy (wife) had five kids (4 boys and 1 girl). Of the boys, Clay Jr. and Bruce Matthews, each of them were All Americans at USC and played in the NFL for 19 years each. Bruce in is the Hall of Fame. Once again God blessed these guys with an incredible physical attributes along with brains. I got to know the boys at the end of their respective careers. Then the next gen started with Clay the Third and Jake Matthews.

Clay Sr. was absolutely a victim of CTE. We all painful watched the effects over the last decade of his life. The last time I saw Clay was with my wife at the local movie theater. He was with his caretaker and they were going to see Concussion. I just hope and pray that the other Matthews men somehow stay clear of this ....

 

[Captain Buckeye]

Accepting the risks of a contact sport and accepting the risk of a specific brain disease caused by that sport which can degrade and shorten your very life are two different things.

No one knew what CTE was back in the day so disingenuous to say you played football you knew the risks.

How many do you think would’ve played anyway?

I knew it was terrible for me. I really did.

Maybe I didn’t know I would be forgetful or be foggy sometimes with my memory later in life but IMO I knew enough.

Anyway, unpopular opinion I’m sure. But again I do think players who were given wrong advice to keep playing in games or to not retire after head injuries should bring lawsuits. That’s medical malpractice. But I do not think players should just automatically be awarded money for having CTE if that makes sense.

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

Oh 100%. I just knew it wasn’t a healthy sport to play but accepted the risks to play a sport I loved.

I agree with you that players being sent back into games should be accounted for.

What my point was/is, to pretend like we didn’t know football was dangerous or terrible for your brain is BS. I have no education with CTE symptoms etc but how did I instinctively know “I shouldn’t be doing this but fuck it anyway”.

What I’m tired of is that it’s a shock football players or any trauma sport have issues with CTE. There’s zero way to take that out of the physical sports. You just make different decisions to play different sports.

How many of these players who have serious issues with CTE would do it again if they could go back? I’d venture to guess most. Again I absolutely think those who forced or encouraged players to go back into the game should pay that price. But otherwise the players (myself included) made the choice to play the most violent sport ever created. If I could do it again, I wouldn’t have quit baseball to pursue football. I am way more passionate about football which is what won out but I was a better baseball player. My size alone I should’ve known (at my biggest 5’10 225) I was best suited for baseball but hey I made that choice even though I knew the risks.

Except that the NFL covered up just how dangerous it was. Again, everybody knew concussions were bad for your brain. But it was not widely known just how bad. And for 20 years, the NFL did everything they could to keep that information from coming out. They put money above the health and safety of those players and prevented the players from making an informed decision about the risk they were taking. It's some diabolical stuff.

If people continue to play now knowing what we know about CTE, I agree -- that is on them. I think it's crazy, but I understand why people do things like this -- maybe it won't happen to me? Maybe it won't be so bad? I love the sport too much and can't do anything else? The money is too good? I get it.

But those players that were deprived access to information about ALL of the dangers? Nah, I want this to keep coming up and I want the NFL to keep paying out the ass for it. There needs to be accountability when you do evil shit like this.

If Junior Seau had known all the risks, would he have still done it? We'll never know, because he killed himself because he couldn't live with it anymore. It's just so fucking bleak, man.

 

[Jaxbuck]

How many do you think would’ve played anyway?

I knew it was terrible for me. I really did.

You did not know about CTE so it’s a silly logic construct. You may have known there were risks but you didn’t know all the risks.

How many people would smoke thinking cigarettes probably weren’t good for you but did it anyway?

How many would have done it if fully aware of the addictive and carcinogenic nature along with a huge sample of anecdotal stories to shed light on the horrors of dying that way?

If people smoke now, with all that’s known - it’s on them. Back in the day while big tobacco was doing its best to hide all those little factoids- it’s not all on them.

 

[Jagdaddy]

Except that the NFL covered up just how dangerous it was. Again, everybody knew concussions were bad for your brain. But it was not widely known just how bad. And for 20 years, the NFL did everything they could to keep that information from coming out. They put money above the health and safety of those players and prevented the players from making an informed decision about the risk they were taking. It's some diabolical stuff.

If people continue to play now knowing what we know about CTE, I agree -- that is on them. I think it's crazy, but I understand why people do things like this -- maybe it won't happen to me? Maybe it won't be so bad? I love the sport too much and can't do anything else? The money is too good? I get it.

But those players that were deprived access to information about ALL of the dangers? Nah, I want this to keep coming up and I want the NFL to keep paying out the ass for it. There needs to be accountability when you do evil shit like this.

If Junior Seau had known all the risks, would he have still done it? We'll never know, because he killed himself because he couldn't live with it anymore. It's just so fucking bleak, man.

It’s a lot like cigarettes. My dad told me that they called them coffin nails when he was a kid in the 40s. People “knew” but they didn’t really know and the tobacco companies did their damnedest to keep it that way. With CTE, I will say that I suspect that a lot more people than football players get it, but that nobody bothers to check on a regular person who gets dementia after they’re dead. I don’t know that I’d turn a kid towards soccer, with the heading of the ball, as a much safer alternative either.

 

[Zurp]

I just hope and pray that the other Matthews men somehow stay clear of this ....

1. I think equipment is getting better/safer. That should help. Fingers crossed.
2. I think the rules changes regarding targeting and defenseless players are a good thing. Along with neck injuries, I'm hopeful that we can see data supporting a decline in head injuries.
3. Same with the new kickoff deal in the NFL. I hope injuries on kickoffs go down.
4. I never played competitive football, but I remember gym teachers say stuff like "loosened up the cobwebs" on a big hit. It was flag football! Why was there a big hit?!? Nerd.
5. I was assistant coach for my kid's tee ball team a million years ago, and I had to sit through a 2-hour training session for concussions. The ball was only a little tougher than a nerf ball. 2 hours. I'm no expert on concussions, but I understand that the immediate treatment is important. If they're requiring tee ball coaches to go through 2 hours of training, I hope they're requiring football coaches to go through 16 hours of training. I'd like to think that would help.
5a. This is why I think the *ichigan head coach should have been fired when he sent a QB with an obvious concussion back out on the field. I forget the coach and quarterback. Was that Shane Morris? The next QB couldn't find his helmet? So you send the guy with a concussion back out there? Nope. You're gone, Idiot.
6. I'm glad my son inherited shared athletic ability from my wife and me. I was never the athletic guy growing up, but my son is down below my level. I didn't have to worry about him playing high-level sports. But now he's driving. There are other ways to get a concussion.