The prevalence and history of CTE in the NFL

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, formally known as C.T.E., is a growing topic in today’s media. Following the head injuries of Miami Dolphins Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, This topic has also been discussed over former wide receiver Antonio Brown after receiving a scary hit from Vontaze Burfict. He would later run off the field during the game ultimately ending his career in the NFL. According to the New York Times Company, “C.T.E. develops in the brain when a naturally occurring protein called Hyperphosphorylated Tau,(P-tau) clumps up in the brain and strangles brain cells which diminishes the ability for the cell to function.” This leads to differences in behavior which can include memory loss, depression, and aggressive behavior. 

CTE is impossible to detect while the person is still alive. After death, to detect CTE, a neurologist has to inspect the brain for clumps of P-Tau. The media has been discussing whether Tagovailoa may or may not have developed CTE over the past few months. According to JC Maroon and others “C.T.E. does not result from one isolated incident as studies show that several hits over multiple years cause its development.” It is very possible that Tagovailoa has developed some sort of head trauma in recent years.

Junior receiver Jabari Johnson commented on this saying “seeing somebody get 3 concussions in such a short time is definitely frightening and if this continues he definitely has a high chance of getting CTE, which will affect his life after retirement greatly. We kind of see a glimpse of what possible CTE after retirement looks like in Antonio Brown who is constantly in the news for poor decisions.” Since we still only know very little about CTE we will not know for sure if Tua has developed brain damage anytime soon.

According to the New York Times Company as of 2021 there have been “315 diagnoses in the [past] sixteen years.” The NFL is aware of this problem and has recently invested 3 million dollars into research of bettering head equipment. Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy  and its many causes should definitely be something athletes and fans of the game should be aware of. According to Tribune Interactive LLC “8 to 13-year-olds playing football specifically, brain differences were noted after just one season.” Out of all youth sports football has been proving to be the most dangerous. This may be because most other youth sports have restrictions of body to body contact. For example, In soccer slide tackles are banned under the age of 11 to prevent contact to the head. Hockey also has put in place similar rules, there are restrictions on the types of checks that if broken will result in a penalty. Overall Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a scary disease that we need to learn more about in the future to ensure safety of all football players.