National Football League players are three to four times more likely to die from neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, dementia and ALS compared to the general population, according to new research published this month.
Ross Zafonte, a brain injury medicine expert from University of Missouri Health Care and the MU School of Medicine’s executive vice dean, contributed to the study. Mass General Brigham, Boston University and the Concussion & CTE Foundation spearheaded the research.
In a press conference Thursday, Zafonte said the study did not intend to imply that every NFL player would face neurodegenerative diseases.
“It’s not that everyone gets it,” he said. “It’s that the risk is elevated for particular neurodegenerative diseases.”
The study looked at NFL players who competed between 1960 and 2019, and the researchers used death records from 1979 to 2023.
The research did find that NFL players are generally healthier than the general population but that they are still more likely to succumb to a neurodegenerative disease.
Certain factors, such as the player’s position on the team, can increase the likelihood of a brain injury, Zafonte said.
“In this study, we actually saw higher long-term problems in people in speed positions,” he said. “Some data has shown that people who are doing more strength positions, such as the line, have a higher rate.”
Players who died before age 60 and those with longer careers were more likely to face a higher risk as well, according to the research.
“It’s a cumulative number of blows, not the concussions only, but the cumulative number of high-force hits that may add, or really does appear to add, long-term risk,” Zafonte said.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Virginia Tech have focused on position-specific risk and how the displacement of force for different positions relates to the likelihood of experiencing concussions, he said. Some players may wear different helmets depending on their position, he said.
While the study did not address ways to reduce the possibility for a brain injury or damage, Zafonte said learning flag football early, staying away from direct contact and limiting “cumulative exposure” are suggestions he would give to younger players.
For high school football players, he said staying hydrated, limiting unnecessary contact, wearing padded football helmet covers and learning proper techniques could help reduce the likelihood of brain injuries or damage.
Zafonte said he is also working on long-term research with a group of more than 5,000 living former NFL players to see how their experience with different diseases plays out over time.
