# Another CTE study on American football **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [July 25, 2017, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-cte-study-on-american-football/792096 "2017-07-25T17:59:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-cte-study-on-american-football/792096/21 "2023-11-17T19:14:12Z")
It’s not just a problem for NFL players; it is also a problem for youngsters: > **[They Started Playing Football as Young as 6. They Died in Their Teens and...](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/11/16/us/cte-youth-football.html)** > > They started playing football as kids, began to suffer mentally and died before 30. Researchers found they had C.T.E., the brain disease linked to hits to the head. If their families could go back, would they still let them play? which refers to: > **[Young, Amateur Athletes at Risk of CTE, BU Study Finds](https://www.bu.edu/articles/2023/young-amateur-athletes-at-risk-of-cte-study-finds/)** > > More than 40 percent of football, soccer, ice hockey, and other contact sport participants under age 30 had signs of the degenerative brain disease, including the first American woman soccer player to be diagnosed And the actual study: > **[Neuropathologic and Clinical Findings in Young Athletes With Repetitive Head...](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/2808952?resultClick=1)** > > This cases series describes the neuropathologic and clinical features of young contact sport athletes who were younger than 30 years at the time of death. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-cte-study-on-american-football/792096/22 "2023-11-17T22:26:49Z")
Is that controlled for cause of death? What numbers do you see for youths whose cause of death was definitely unrelated to CTE sports participation? ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2025, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-cte-study-on-american-football/792096/23 "2025-07-27T05:39:30Z")
Another sad case of a college football player who after 15 years of worsening behavior died of kraton overdoes homeless. His brain was diagnosed a year later with CTE. Perhaps someone can provide a gift link: > **[He ‘found his place in the world’ through football. But CTE would lead to 15...](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6496411/2025/07/24/greg-newman-cte-football-utah/)** > > Greg Newman found love and purpose in football. It would ultimately be part of what ended his life. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2025, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-cte-study-on-american-football/792096/24 "2025-07-29T13:11:17Z")
The man who killed a NYPD officer and others yesterday had a suicide note that stated he had CTE. No proof that’s true at this point. He apparently shot himself in the chest so they should be able to tell if they do the proper test. It looks like he played high school football. > **[NYC gunman Shane Tamura referenced ex-NFL player Terry Long — who had CTE —...](https://nypost.com/2025/07/29/us-news/nyc-gunman-shane-tamura-referenced-ex-nfl-player-terry-long-who-had-cte-in-note-slamming-league/)** > > Shane Tamura, 27, killed an NYPD officer and three other people on Monday evening when he stormed the Midtown skyscraper that’s home to the football league’s headquarters. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2025, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-cte-study-on-american-football/792096/25 "2025-07-29T13:29:53Z")
[Moderating] I took the liberty of fixing that typo, because it was guaranteed to be a distraction if I didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2025, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-cte-study-on-american-football/792096/26 "2025-07-29T14:10:05Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > [Moderating] > I took the liberty of fixing that typo, because it was guaranteed to be a distraction if I didn’t. I checked out what you changed. Yikes. That’s a hell of a typo. I appreciate the help. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2025, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-cte-study-on-american-football/792096/27 "2025-07-29T18:22:24Z")
But see, now everyone is going to be distracted by trying to figure out what the typo was! ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2025, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-cte-study-on-american-football/792096/28 "2025-07-29T18:23:52Z")
Looking back at the OP, it made a lot of sense at the time, but eight years on, I see no particular sign that football’s popularity is decreasing, even as the science on CTE gets better established. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2025, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-cte-study-on-american-football/792096/29 "2025-07-29T19:04:28Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > But see, now everyone is going to be distracted by trying to figure out what the typo was! The word before “himself” was spelled with an “i” instead of an “o”. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2025, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-cte-study-on-american-football/792096/30 "2025-07-29T19:07:22Z")
[channeling Emily Litella] Oh, that’s very different! That’s very, VERY different! Never mind. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2025, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-cte-study-on-american-football/792096/31 "2025-07-29T19:13:40Z")
Though I’ve also seen more mentions of flag football nationally and locally than I have since middle school, which is a sign to me that reality is slowly trickling in. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2025, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-cte-study-on-american-football/792096/32 "2025-07-29T19:37:01Z")
Banning helmets and pads will go a long way to reducing head trauma in football. The game as we know it may not survive, though. People do love their gladiators. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2025, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-cte-study-on-american-football/792096/33 "2025-07-29T19:48:21Z")
I am not sure about that. Flag football may be the NFL working to expand the popularity of football, more than offering an _alternative_ to tackle football. Growing markets and all that, with “gateway” activities leading to more interest in the traditional football product. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2025, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-cte-study-on-american-football/792096/34 "2025-07-29T20:20:33Z")
That’s true. My tween plays in one of the several recreational flag football leagues available for kids his age. I have no idea if these existed ten or twenty years ago, but now they are, at least, much more widely advertised than tackle leagues for that age group. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2025, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-cte-study-on-american-football/792096/35 "2025-07-29T20:36:03Z")
I played rec league flag football back in the 80s. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2025, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-cte-study-on-american-football/792096/36 "2025-07-29T21:04:29Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > Looking back at the OP, it made a lot of sense at the time, but eight years on, I see no particular sign that football’s popularity is decreasing, even as the science on CTE gets better established. While I wouldn’t say a decline is inevitable, if it does happen at all it’s going to take a while before we notice any changes. Between professional, college, high school, middle school, and even peewee leagues, there’s a huge industry based around the sport. Any decline is likely to take place over decades and might take a while before we notice. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-cte-study-on-american-football/792096/37 "2025-09-26T19:21:26Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > The man who killed a NYPD officer and others yesterday had a suicide note that stated he had CTE. No proof that’s true at this point. He apparently shot himself in the chest so they should be able to tell if they do the proper test. It looks like he played high school football. There is proof now: > **[Man who killed four people in New York City building containing NFL...](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/26/nyc-nfl-cte-shane-tamura)** > > Medical examiner says autopsy of Shane Tamura, who played football in high school, showed evidence of brain disease **Gunman Who Attacked Midtown Office Building Had C.T.E.** [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/26/us/cte-football-tamura-gunman.html](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/26/us/cte-football-tamura-gunman.html) ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2025, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-cte-study-on-american-football/792096/38 "2025-09-27T16:36:12Z")
Lowered popularity doesn’t mean less people watching, it means less kids playing. Which is happening. [Apparently most of the drop is among white liberals.](https://www.kjzz.org/2024-01-19/content-1868767-demographics-kids-playing-football-are-changing) ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2025, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-cte-study-on-american-football/792096/39 "2025-09-28T21:16:17Z")
I mentioned this in the Mass Killings 2021 thread: > [@Mass Killings in the United States (2021)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-killings-in-the-united-states-2021/931469/34): > > 7 April 2021. Columbia, South Carolina. 5 Killed (shot) plus killer, former NFL Pro Phillip Adams. I wonder if it is a case of TBI, traumatic brain injury caused by concussions playing football. The New York Times has a nice followup thread today on family reactions and the fact that he did in fact have CTE. Anyone have a gift link? **A Stranger Shattered Their Lives. At First, They Didn’t Know Why. A family reckons with the devastation left behind after a former N.F.L. player showed up on their property.** [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/28/us/phillip-adams-cte.html](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/28/us/phillip-adams-cte.html) ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2025, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-cte-study-on-american-football/792096/40 "2025-11-25T17:12:24Z")
> …an issue that had been dragged into the light by both off-field tragedies and a science-based movement of player advocates: that the repeated concussions endemic to football can cause Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). In recent years, the CTE discourse has mostly disappeared—as if the whole topic had been pulled into a blue tent. But CTE should still be at the center of discussions about the country’s most popular sports league. > > **So far in 2025, nine former and current NFL players under the age of 48 have died. Of those nine deaths, seven were the result of suicide, actions that signaled deep mental duress, or undisclosed reasons.** A _Nation_ overview of other major sports leagues—including the violent worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts, can’t find anything close to similar numbers elsewhere. Yet you’d barely know it. Media members who once predicted that our knowledge of CTE could endanger the sport are now more interested in the gambling experience of fans than the workplace safety of players > **[Sports Media Has Forgotten About CTE Even After Player Deaths](https://www.thenation.com/article/society/nfl-concussion-cte-sports-media/#google_vignette)** > > The NFL season has been rife with tragedy—not that the league or its media partners have noticed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-cte-study-on-american-football/792096.md?page=1)