Study Finds NFL Players Face Fourfold Higher Risk of Neurodegenerative Diseases

Long‑term NFL Careers Tied to Dramatically Higher Risk of Brain‑Related Deaths

Analysis of nearly 20,000 current and former National Football League athletes shows that they are about four times more likely than the broader population to succumb to neurodegenerative disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), dementia and Parkinson’s disease.

Largest Mortality Survey of Professional Football Players

Researchers from Boston University, Mass General Brigham and the Concussion & CTE Foundation conducted the most extensive mortality investigation of its kind, examining 19,824 players who debuted between 1960 and 2019 and logged at least one regular‑season appearance.

Neurodegenerative Deaths Outpace Other Causes

While the cohort displayed reduced mortality from cancer and cardiovascular disease—benefits attributed to superior fitness and medical access—the risk of dying from brain‑related conditions was markedly elevated. The study reported 178 neurodegenerative deaths among the 1,994 deceased athletes, including 106 cases of dementia, 39 of Parkinson’s disease and 33 of ALS.

CTE Likely Driver of Excess Risk

“A four‑fold increase in dementia rates points to a substantial environmental factor, and brain‑bank evidence suggests chronic traumatic encephalopathy is the main culprit,” explained senior co‑author Jesse Mez, co‑director of clinical research at the BU CTE Center.

Mortality rates for dementia and Parkinson’s were 3.8‑ and 3.9‑times higher, respectively, compared with the general population. By contrast, the authors noted that heavy lead exposure—once common in paint and gasoline—produces only a two‑ to three‑fold rise in dementia incidence.

Career Length and Position Influence Outcomes

Players with longer tenures and more game appearances faced greater odds of neurodegenerative death. Those who remained in the league beyond five seasons exhibited double the risk of those whose careers lasted one to four years. Additionally, athletes in “speed” roles—such as running backs, wide receivers and defensive backs—experienced twice the dementia mortality of “non‑speed” players like offensive and defensive linemen, a pattern the authors linked to higher cumulative g‑force exposure.

Physical Fitness Does Not Shield Against Brain Damage

Despite superior overall health, the findings underscore that repeated head impacts can override the protective effects of fitness. “Former NFL players enjoy better cardiovascular health, yet they still confront a fourfold rise in neurodegenerative mortality, likely tied to repetitive head trauma,” Mez added.

Study Publication and Funding

The full results appear in eClinicalMedicine, an open‑access journal of The Lancet. Research support was provided by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the National Institute on Aging and the Maloney/Carpenter Trauma‑Related Neurodegenerative Disease Research Fund.