Suicide rates among former NFL players rose in the decade between 2011 and 2019, compared to their cohorts in the NBA and Major League Baseball, according to a study published this week in the Journal of Neurotrauma.
The paper, written as part of the Football Players Study at Harvard University, tracked deaths among former players in the three leagues dating back to 1979. From that point until 2010, suicide rates between the three leagues were statistically similar and below the national average. Beginning in 2011 through 2019, however, the rate for former NFL players was 2.6 times higher than for the NBA and MLB, according to the study.
The overall sample size was relatively small. It logged a total of 101 suicides among the thousands of deaths of former players across all three leagues, from 1979-2019.
The timeframe of the NFL's higher rate roughly coincides with the evolution of awareness about chronic traumatic encephalopathy, also known as CTE, a brain condition connected to repetitive head trauma that can only be diagnosed after death.
Rachel Grashow, a senior co-author of the study, said the magnitude of the differential between the rates suggest there are "multiple factors" involved. In an interview, however, Grashow cited a related study published in 2024 that reported nearly a third of former NFL players with general health symptoms -- including sleep apnea, hypertension, low testosterone and depression -- believed they had CTE. That group was five times more likely to entertain suicidal thoughts than those who did not attribute their symptoms to CTE.
"And so one of the questions from that study was, are we actually seeing higher suicide in football players?" said Grashow, the director of epidemiological research initiatives with the Football Players Study. "And if CTE is so correlated with thoughts of self-harm, is that actually translating out into a change in the suicide rate that we see?"
One of the takeaways, Grashow said, is that former players should seek treatment for their symptoms rather than make assumptions about their causes. CTE researchers have yet to settle on any set of unique symptoms that would help diagnose the condition before death.
"CTE is 100% real," she said. "There's absolutely a signature of brain injury and repair in these players. But until that's connected to a symptom in life, there is no reason why we can't be treating those symptoms. It's so hard because I think in our data, the story is really clear that these guys have a lot of conditions that cause cognitive problems that are treatable."
CTE was first diagnosed in 2002 following the death of former Pittsburgh Steelers center Mike Webster. The pathologist who performed the autopsy on Webster, Dr. Bennet Omalu, presented his findings in a paper in 2005. By 2010, both the NFL and NFL Players Association were supporting further study of CTE. The movie "Concussion," released in 2015, delivered a dramatized version of those events to the broader public.
In response to publication of the paper this week, both NFL and NFLPA encouraged retired players to utilize resources available for treatment of symptoms that can lead to suicide.
The NFLPA funds the Football Players Study, but the group has a legal firewall to protect academic independence. In a statement, the NFLPA said that "player health is of paramount importance."
The statement continued: "We believe in taking a science-first, data-driven approach to our members' health and safety, and findings from studies such as this one by the Football Players Health Study conducted at Harvard University can help players make informed health and safety decisions during and after their football careers. Our union offers a number of dedicated health resources to active and former players. We regularly encourage players to take advantage of these programs, along with maintaining check-ups with their personal healthcare providers, as part of a holistic approach to their physical and mental well-being."
Dr. Nyaka NiiLampti, the NFL's vice president of wellness and clinical services, said: "Each loss of life is a tragedy. And we remain committed to ensuring that the entire NFL community has access to a robust set of resources to enhance their physical and mental wellbeing. This study underscores the importance of the resources the NFL and NFLPA provide to former players, and we encourage former players to utilize these resources to identify and seek treatment when they are concerned about their health.
"The hope is that no one -- especially within the NFL family -- ever feels alone or unsupported, and we will continue our efforts to make this a reality."
