On Aug. 28, 2023, in a study of 152 deceased athletes less than 30 years old who were exposed to repeated head injury through contact sports, brain examination demonstrated that 63 (41%) had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disorder associated with exposure to head trauma.

Neuropsychological symptoms were severe in both those with and without evidence of CTE. Suicide was the most common cause of death in both groups, followed by unintentional overdose.