Cory Althoff Popular Books

Cory Althoff Biography & Facts

A large number of former National Football League (NFL) players have been diagnosed with or have had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. A definitive diagnosis so far can be made only post-mortem. However, an increasing number of former players are reporting symptoms of CTE. According to 2017 study on brains of deceased gridiron football players, 99% of tested brains of NFL players, 88% of Canadian Football League (CFL) players, 64% of semi-professional players, 91% of college football players, and 21% of high school football players had various stages of CTE. This study could have some selection bias as families of players with CTE symptoms would be more likely to donate brains to research than those without signs of the disease.In 2023, the Boston University CTE Center, which has led the effort to diagnose CTE cases, announced that they had found CTE in 345 of 376 former NFL players' brains. By comparison, a 2018 BU study of the general population had found only one instance of CTE in 164 autopsies, and that one person with CTE had played college football. How players are affected CTE doesn't directly cause death but instead changes your personality and behavior, making you not feel like yourself anymore. Players with CTE often become isolated from their friends. Sometimes they become unable to tell a story, carry on a conversation, or recognize their loved ones. One former player later found to have CTE described having headaches that felt like ice picks hitting his brain.Former players with CTE suffer from memory loss, depression, and violent mood swings. The players and those around them deal with their rage and paranoia. In some cases, damage to players' brains contributes to severe alcoholism leading to death. Two former NFL Man of the Year winners suffering from CTE symptoms shot themselves in the chest so their brains could be studied for the damage inflicted by football.Heisman Trophy winner and former NFL All-Pro Bo Jackson said in a 2017 interview with USA Today that if he had known about the risks associated with CTE, he would never have played football, and he discourages his children from doing so. In late 2017, former Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson reported having symptoms akin to Aaron Hernandez, including memory blanks, suicidal thoughts and thoughts of committing violent acts. Although there is no way to positively diagnose CTE before death, Johnson believes he is living with the disease.Family members and friends struggle to try and provide care for former players with CTE while frequently watching them become unrecognizable and slip away. Former players with CTE confirmed post-mortem A common definitive test currently can be made only by examining the brain tissue of a deceased victim. The latest research indicates that 345 of 376 NFL players whose brains were autopsied had CTE. As the families of many deceased players wish to keep their autopsy results private and the vast majority of former players never have specialized autopsies done on their brains after death, the following list shows a small fraction of NFL players who've suffered from CTE. Deceased players suspected of having had CTE Included in the list are players diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) who were never tested post-mortem for CTE but whose history appears consistent with CTE. A typical diagnosis of ALS has primarily been based on the symptoms and signs the physician observes in the patient and a series of tests to rule out other diseases and therefore, prior to the discovery of CTE as a phenomenon in ex-American football players, many CTE cases were diagnosed as ALS. The testing of CTE in deceased former NFL players began only after the disease was first diagnosed, in 2002, in the brain tissue of Mike Webster. After then, testing became common practice only gradually. A cohort mortality study run by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) examined 3,349 NFL players who played at least five full seasons from 1959 to 1988. Findings showed that while NFL players lived longer than the average American male, the risk of death associated with neurodegenerative disorders was about three times higher among the NFL cohort. The risk for death from Alzheimer's disease and ALS were about four times higher among the NFL cohort.Some on this list may have had dementia not related to ALS or CTE. Living former players diagnosed with CTE or ALS or reporting symptoms consistent with CTE or ALS These players have publicly acknowledged either having been diagnosed with likely CTE or having experienced symptoms, such as dementia or unusual memory loss, consistent with CTE. In some cases, the player has received a diagnosis of ALS but symptoms are consistent with CTE. There are at least two dozen former players who were diagnosed as part of a UCLA study but have not come forward publicly. There are also around 4,500 former players who joined a class action lawsuit against the NFL alleging that it had covered up a growing body of medical evidence about the preponderance of head-trauma related CTE in ex-NFL players.Some of these ex-players may have medical conditions other than CTE or ALS. For example, ex-players that have presented with symptoms late in life may have other forms of age-related dementia. Some of the former players on this list came forward only in the context of the class action lawsuit versus the NFL. At present, there is no definitive CTE test available for living persons. Their average age is 51. Former players listed as plaintiffs in lawsuits against the NFL for concussion-related injuries received after playing This list is incomplete. The NFL reportedly reached a settlement in 2013 with around 4,500 former players (or their estates). This list currently contains fewer than half that number. See also Concussions in American football Concussion League of Denial Helmet-to-helmet collision Health issues in American football National Football League controversies The Hit (Chuck Bednarik)References. Discover the Cory Althoff popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Cory Althoff books.