NFL Acknowledges Link Between Football And Long-Term Brain Disease For First Time

The NFL has long denied that any connection between the sport of football and long-term brain diseases like chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). That all changed on Monday.

During a discussion on concussions convened by the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Energy and Commerce, Jeff Miller, the NFL’s senior vice president for health and safety admitted that a connection exists. When asked by Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) if there was a link between football and diseases like CTE, Miller said, “The answer to that question is certainly yes.”

Miller claimed that he based his claim on the research done by Dr. Ann McKee of Boston University. McKee has diagnosed CTE in the brains of 90 of 94 former NFL players.

Miller continued:

"I think the broader point, and the one that your question gets to, is what that necessarily means, and where do we go from here with that information."

This is an absolute bombshell that blows apart the NFL’s long-stated position that the sport of football is safe. In recent years, NFL officials have essentially avoided taking a stance on whether or not football causes long-term brain issues, and the league has never had anyone concretely link the sport to CTE.

In fact, San Francisco-based Dr. Mitch Berger, who leads the NFL subcommittee on long-term brain injury, claimed during Super Bowl week that there is no established connection between football and CTE.

Dr. McKee obviously believes there is a link and after she discussed her research, Schakowsky then asked Miller whether a connection existed. He admitted that it did, but also said, “But there’s also a number of questions that come with that.”

Miller did not elaborate on his remarks after the session and declined to answer follow-up questions from the media.

Obviously much more research needs to be done on the subject, but even someone without a background in science can see the debilitating impact football has had on a number of former NFL players. Hopefully Miller’s comments are a sign that the league is coming around and finally showing it is ready to start confronting the problem.