New BU Study Finds Tackle Football at Young Age Raises Risk for Brain Decline Later

The Brink | Boston University | The degenerative brain disease known as CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, has become a specter haunting football. One-time stars—like the late NFL defensive backs Irv Cross and Dave Duerson and the Hall of Fame center Mike Webster—who were all once heralded for their swaggering on-field heroics, later found themselves condemned to far less glamorous retirements, stuck with years of progressively declining brain health, plagued by forgetfulness, disordered thinking, and poorly regulated emotions. Read more.