00:00Concussions actually aren't the only thing linked to CTE.
00:03It's linked to repeated hits to the head
00:05from your first youth league snap to the NFL.
00:07Here's what's happening.
00:08CTE is a brain disease
00:10that can only be diagnosed after death.
00:12In 2023, Dr. Daniel Dineshvar and his team
00:15found no link between a player's concussion count and CTE.
00:19The total pile of hits over a career,
00:21drills included, mattered more.
00:23A new study is making the rounds
00:25from Mass General Brigham and Boston University
00:27that found that at least one in four former NFL players
00:30who died between 2016 and 2021 had CTE.
00:34In the general population, CTE shows up in under one in 100 people.
00:38Dr. Dineshvar told the Boston Globe
00:40that these players' hits started before the NFL
00:43in youth football, high school, and college.
00:45He says the math isn't just an NFL problem.
00:47It applies to anyone who played contact sports
00:50like football, soccer, hockey,
00:52as well as members of the military.
00:53He also says the priority now is treating
00:56and eventually curing the disease,
00:58not fueling panic.
00:59The NFL points to steps it's already taken
01:01like guardian caps or shorter padded practices.
01:03In a statement, the league says it's continuously working
01:06to make the game safer
01:07and encourages former players to use its health resources.
01:10Researchers say they want to study current players next.
01:13But if you or your kid plays contact sports,
01:16does this worry you?
01:17Drop your take in the comments
01:18and follow us here for more.
