Diseased NFL Players: 87 Test Positive for Brain Disease Following Concussions, Head Injuries

The NFL has been dealing with the ongoing issue of traumatic head injuries for a while now, as most NFL players either have a history in abuse, or partake in abuse themselves. Studies have shown a correlation between head injuries and abuse. Now, studies are also showing a correlation between head injuries and brain disease, such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, better known as CTE.

The National Football League has never been one to take head injuries, or concussions too seriously. This unfortunate fact has been brought to the attention of the media by Will Smith's upcoming film, Concussion, which is about a Nigerian-born neuropathologist who discovered CTE in September 2002.

The NFL has been doing a great job in covering up its neglect in the field of players' head injuries and concussions. But scientific evidence is now revealing the seriousness of concussions.

According to Yahoo Sports, researchers of the Department of Veteran Affairs and Boston University conducted a research on 91 brains of former NFL players, and they found that a total of 87 of those 91players showed positive results for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), according to a recent study. In other words, 95.6 percent of former NFL players tested were suffering from a disease that has been linked to dementia, depression and suicide.

"People think that we're blowing this out of proportion, that this is a very rare disease and that we're sensationalizing it," said Dr. Ann McKee, who runs the lab as part of a collaboration between the VA and BU. "My response is that where I sit, this is a very real disease. We have had no problem identifying it in hundreds of players."

In total, the lab has found CTE in the brain tissue in 131 out of 165 individuals who, before their deaths, played football either professionally, semi-professionally, in college or in high school, as reported by PBS.

As per CNN, Frontline is reporting that 40 percent of the players who tested positive were the offensive and defensive linemen (these are the players who come into physical contact with one another on every play of a game, i.e. the linemen who tackle one another).

A spokesman for the NFL, who cited the league's donations to Boston University, told PBS, "We are dedicated to making football safer and continue to take steps to protect players, including rule changes, advanced sideline technology and expanded medical resources."

Now, the NFL claims to be "dedicating" themselves to making football "safer" for players, but quite recently, a New York Giant's receiver, Odell Beckham Jr., seemed to have suffered some sort of head injury, possibly a concussion. He was not even checked for it, and immediately returned to the field to continue playing regardless of the fact that he seemed to be a bit "off."

So the question stands: Is the NFL really taking CTE seriously? Or is it just a façade?