With a game that requires men to tackle and smash their heads into one another it’s inevitable that brain injuries follow suit. CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) , caused by repetitive brain trauma (concussions), is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that results in symptoms such as cognitive impairment, behavioral changes, motor problems and dementia. 

The NFL has been sweeping this predicament under the rug for decades. Their solution? A new kickoff rule – and it isn’t enough. 

CTE has been addressed in the realm of sports for almost a century ever since boxers showed massive symptoms of memory loss and an overall decline in neurological function. CTE can only be diagnosed through a postmortem examination. Although the disease has emerged in sports such as hockey, soccer and team sports, football takes the cake for the greatest potential for CTE. The repeated collisions over months and years raise the chances of CTE for football players specifically. 

The NFL has taken steps to rectify the situation of just head-injuries in general and in 1994 they established the Neck and Spine Committee. But not until the death of “Iron Mike” Mike Webster in 2002, a 1970s Steelers player who sustained thousands of hits to the head did worries really begin to arise. After his time in the NFL, Webster suffered from dementia, severe depression and amnesia which eventually led him to living in his pickup truck. Webster was the first case of CTE reported within the NFL and sparked the ongoing debate of player safety and education. 

Research findings following Webster’s death were presented to Ira Casson, a neurologist who co-chaired the committee and quickly disregarded it. Casson also claimed that there was no proven connection between football head injuries and long-term brain disease. 

Since 2015, the NFL has reported 22,000 thousand concussions in practices and games. Regularly, men and women require at least 25 days to fully recover from concussions – in the NFL, it’s nine.

In extreme cases such as Aaron Hernandez, CTE can manifest itself through violent and impulsive behavior. Hernandez has been recognized as one of the worst cases of CTE with signs of  an atrophied fornix and enlarged ventricles, which suggest that his brain had actually shrunk. Director of Boston University Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center Ann McKee has done pioneering research through numerous donations to her center for brain related injuries from football. 

In another study for the correlation between CTE and football, researchers at BU found that 345 former NFL players out of 376 had been diagnosed with CTE. The earlier a person enters the field the more likely they are to develop CTE. A study that was conducted in 2015 found that NFL players who played before the age of 12 did worse on cognitive assessments than those who started in their later-teen years. 

Guardian Caps, an attempt from the NFL to reduce the impact of hits has proven to not be successful in protecting from head-injury. Since 2022 they have been mandated to be worn during NFL practices and in 2024, they were approved for the regular season. Only six players per game were actually reported wearing Guardian Caps. 

“Helmets do not protect athletes from the jarring head movements associated with CTE, ” McKee said in an interview. “It’s an intrinsic component of football.” “Every time you have a tackle or a collision, you’re going to have these rapid forces affecting the brain.…That’s one of the difficulties of keeping football safe.”

The “dynamic kickoff” was the solution that the NFL mandated to increase player safety in 2024 after decades of denying the connection between tackle football and long-term brain disease. Kickoffs are where most of the damage occurs for players due to its high-speed collisions with one another with immense force. The NFL’s “dynamic kickoff” is designed to “resemble a typical scrimmage play by aligning players on both teams closer together and restricting movement to reduce space and speed.” 

The new rule is an admirable attempt by the NFL to prevent brain damage but not an effective one. Research conducted at BU by McKee goes against the new “dynamic kickoff.” It has proven that CTE is not caused by isolated incidents but rather by smaller repetitive hits to the head over months and years. Furthermore, research has shown that players who consistently play tackle football at a young age through their teen years are more likely to suffer from CTE. 

Teams at a lower level than the NFL such as high school and collegiate continue to still use the older kickoff format. And it’s the younger athletes who are the NFL’s next generation who need to be protected against CTE the most. 

The younger generation of football players who will soon flood the fields are entering with a lack of education on the long-term damages that playing can cause. The NFL is not doing enough to prioritize education as they are the direct mentors of the younger generation. Players need to be taught to care for themselves and brain function above playing for a sport that lacks self-governance and honesty.