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CTE study highlights concussion risk for insurers tied to NFL coverage
A new BMJ-linked analysis found CTE evidence in 215 of 878 donated brains from former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021, reinforcing pressure on how insurers price head-trauma risk.
A new study reported in The BMJ is adding momentum to insurance underwriting debates around concussion and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, with researchers estimating that at least 24.5% of former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 showed evidence of CTE in donated brain tissue.
According to the report, the researchers from Mass General Brigham, Boston University, and the Concussion & CTE Foundation examined brains from 878 former NFL players who died during the period, with 235 families donating tissue for examination and 215 of those showing evidence of CTE. Because the analysis treats undonated brains as CTE-free, the authors called the prevalence estimate conservative, and they said the rate could imply that at least 400 current players could eventually receive a diagnosis based on today’s roster size.
The study also arrives as the NFL’s long-running insurance fight over concussion liability is headed toward trial. Litigation regarding who pays into the NFL’s concussion settlement fund is scheduled for a New York court on October 13, 2026, with more than $1.5 billion in disputed payouts at issue, on top of the fund having paid out well over $1 billion to retired players.
Insurance Business notes that at the height of the dispute, roughly 30 insurers were involved. Those holdouts have argued the league knew about, and downplayed, the risks of head trauma before policies were underwritten, and a higher prevalence estimate could strengthen that dispute over coverage and potential exclusions tied to known or expected loss.