Study Estimates At Least One-Quarter Of Deceased Ex-NFL Players Had CTE
CBS News reported Tuesday that a Mass General Brigham study found at least one-quarter of former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 had chronic traumatic encephalopathy.[1]
The network first aired a segment at 7:56 AM Central that translated the study's technical prevalence range into "nearly a quarter" for viewers.[2] In that broadcast Dr. Céline Gounder explained the study's findings and the implications for NFL players and head-injury risks.[2]
Mass General Brigham produced the study that both CBS segments identified as the basis for the prevalence estimate.[3] A later CBS segment at 12:59 PM Central featured Dr. Robert C. Cantu and reiterated the study's central "at least 1 in 4" estimate, framing it as a benchmark for understanding CTE risk in professional football.[1]
The broadcasts presented the roughly 25% figure as an accessible public benchmark and elevated the study's profile for conversations about player safety and long-term brain health.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- CBS News aired a segment at 7:56 AM Central on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, reporting that nearly a quarter of NFL players who died from 2016 to 2021 had CTE (CBS News).
- A later CBS News segment at 12:59 PM Central on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, reported the study’s central estimate as "at least 1 in 4" former NFL players who died during 2016–2021 had CTE (At least 1 in 4 ex-NFL players who died from 2016 to 2021 had CTE).
- Both broadcasts attributed the finding to a Mass General Brigham study, identifying that research as the basis for the prevalence estimate (Mass General Brigham study).
- Dr. Céline Gounder appeared on the 7:56 AM Central segment to explain the study’s findings and the implications for NFL players and head-injury risks (Dr. Céline Gounder).
- Dr. Robert C. Cantu discussed the study and its results on the 12:59 PM Central broadcast, reiterating the at-least-one-in-four finding (Dr. Robert C. Cantu).
- The CBS broadcasts presented the roughly 25% prevalence estimate as an accessible benchmark that elevates the study’s public profile for understanding CTE risk in professional football (roughly 25% prevalence estimate).
📰 Source Timeline (3)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- A CBS News segment published at 12:59 p.m. Central on August 25, 2026, featured Dr. Robert C. Cantu discussing the study that found at least 25% of ex-NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 had CTE.
- The broadcast explicitly reiterates the central estimate that at least one in four former NFL players who died in that 2016-2021 window showed CTE on examination.
- The segment further elevates the study's public profile by framing the result as a key benchmark for understanding CTE risk in professional football.
- CBS aired a segment on August 25, 2026, highlighting that nearly a quarter of NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 had CTE, based on a Mass General Brigham study.
- Dr. Céline Gounder appeared in the CBS segment to explain the study's findings and implications for NFL players and head-injury risks.
- The broadcast reiterates the core estimate that roughly 25% of all deceased ex-NFL players in the 2016-2021 period had CTE, translating the technical prevalence range into a more accessible figure for the public.