{
  "id": 3755995,
  "title": "At Least One in Four NFL Players May Have CTE",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/at-least-one-in-four-nfl-players-may-have-cte",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-08-27T14:29:06.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Time",
    "slug": "time",
    "url": "https://time.com/article/2026/08/27/one-in-four-nfl-football-players-may-have-cte/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A new study reveals that as many as one in four NFL players may have chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated head injuries. Researchers from Harvard Medical School and Mass General Brigham analyzed the brains of deceased former NFL players and found that 91% had CTE, although they caution this number is likely an undercount. The study's lead author, Dr. Daniel Daneshvar, emphasizes that this conservative estimate does not reflect the true prevalence of the disease. CTE can only be definitively diagnosed through autopsy, but its symptoms—such as memory loss, confusion, aggression, depression, and slurred speech—can manifest during a person's life, significantly impacting their ability to function independently. The research, which examined the brains of 235 former NFL players who donated their brains, found that 215 had CTE. If unexamined brains are included, the CTE prevalence could be as high as 93.2%. The study highlights that CTE is a cumulative disease, accumulating over a career from hits sustained in college, high school, and even childhood. While the NFL has taken steps to improve player safety, including banning helmet-to-helmet hits and limiting full-contact practices, these changes may not be enough to prevent CTE. The disease's insidious nature means that even players who follow concussion protocols may still accumulate enough head impacts to develop the condition.",
  "summary": "A new study on donated brain tissue from former football players found troubling signs of CTE, a degenerative brain disease.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}