The Damages of CTE

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, is “ is a progressive degenerative disease of the brain found in athletes (and others) with a history of repetitive brain trauma” according to Boston University.Concussions are a form of brain trauma and can lead to  person developing CTE. Around 2014 new data arose that NFL players were developing CTE. A PBS article titled “76 of 79 Deceased NFL Players Found to Have Brain Disease” said “new data from the nation’s largest brain bank focused on traumatic brain injury has found evidence of a degenerative brain disease in 76 of the 79 former players it’s examined”. The brain disease most commonly found is chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

Source:http://www.pbs.org

CTE is starting to be a serious around the NFL and other athletes. It is the most common disease found in players who are deceased or have been struggling to live a normal life after their football career. Not only can CTE be harmful itself but it can lead to “mood disorders, such as depression and bouts of rage, while those with more severe cases can experience confusion, memory loss and advanced dementia” which all affect people greatly. These effects of CTE are being seen in NFL players. For example, NFL legend Junior Seau (who, after his death,was found to have CTE) committed suicide and former Chief’s linebacker Jovan Belcher was found to have CTE after he shot and killed his girlfriend and then drove to a Chiefs practice facility where he committed suicide in front of team officials in 2012.

During a court settlement between the NFL and former player, data arose that “the NFL expects nearly a third of all retired players to develop a long-term cognitive problem, such as Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, as a result of football.” This is a very alarming statistic and warrants some action. The NFL needs to provide its players with information on the risks of football and try to make the game safer without changing it too much.