A disproportionate
number of men who played at least five seasons in the N.F.L. from 1959 to 1988
developed Alzheimer’s disease or Lou Gehrig’s disease, according to a study
released Wednesday.
The study found that
players in the “speed” group were three times more likely to have died as a
result of a neurodegenerative disease.
Stern said that the
results of the study might underestimate the current dangers from
football-related hits to the head. Because players today are bigger, stronger
and faster than those from the era applicable to the study, they might be more
prone to subsequent mental incapacity, he said.
Lehman acknowledged the
small sample size, while saying the results were “statistically significant.”
While cautioning that the
findings should not be over-interpreted, Stern added, “The study provides more
evidence that repetitive brain trauma such as that experienced in football is
associated with C.T.E. later in life.”
The study, which is
detailed in the medical journal Neurology, was announced on the same day that
the N.F.L. pledged a $30 million donation to the National Institutes of Health
for research on the connection between brain injuries and long-term disorders.
“The N.F.L. has been
making a lot of important changes in their rules and policies, and now they are
going to make a tremendous impact on research going forward,” said Stern, whose
center once received $1 million from the league.
Some 3,400 players or
their relatives have sued the N.F.L., alleging that it neglected to recognize
and address neurological dangers faced by the athletes.
One of the early plaintiffs
was Ray Easterling, who played in the 1970s and began coping with dementia a
decade after retirement. He committed suicide in April.
His widow, Mary Ann
Easterling, said Wednesday that the latest study reinforced “what I’ve come to
know about football players’ brain health after football.”
Regarding the N.F.L.’s donation, she said, “I think they
are getting the message that they need to be serious.”
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