Our picks and predictions for the 2026 NFL season
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- A Boston University study found that NFL players with advanced CTE did not qualify for compensation under the NFL Concussion Settlement.
- Researchers linked cognitive testing performance during life with CTE confirmed after death in 33 former NFL players.
- Despite showing measurable cognitive impairment, players with advanced CTE received the lowest impairment rating in the settlement’s assessment program.
- The study suggests the settlement’s diagnostic criteria may miss cases of cognitive impairment associated with confirmed CTE.
NFL players diagnosed with advanced CTE after death who also demonstrated cognitive impairment in testing during their life still did not meet the requirements for financial compensation under the NFL Concussion Settlement, according to a Boston University study published Wednesday.
Researchers examined 33 NFL players diagnosed with CTE after an autopsy who had completed the baseline assessment program (BAP) stipulated by the 2014 settlement – that ended a years-long class-action lawsuit – in what researchers called the largest study to date linking cognitive testing performance during life with CTE confirmed posthumously.
The results, published in JAMA Network Open, found that seven participants had advanced (Stage 3 or 4) CTE. Six of those seven showed measurable cognitive impairment on testing, yet all seven received the lowest impairment rating (Level 0) on the BAP’s system, according to documentation provided to researchers by players’ families.
“The BAP’s diagnostic criteria might miss cases of cognitive impairment that are objectively measurable and associated with confirmed CTE pathology,” Michael Alosco, PhD, co-director of clinical research at the BU CTE Center said in a statement. “This has important implications for former players seeking diagnosis and potential compensation through the NFL Concussion Settlement.”
USA TODAY Sports has reached out to the NFL for comment.
The participants’ average age at the time of testing was 63, and their average age of death was 65. The most-common problem was memory, particularly short-term, with 63% of the participants affected. Executive function (52%) and language (41%) were other common impairments.
“This is the largest study of its kind to directly link the amount of CTE pathology found at autopsy with objective cognitive testing during life,” Anna Aaronson, lead author and a PhD student at the Boston University CTE Center said in a statement. “These findings provide an important roadmap for recognizing CTE in living patients.”
The settlement has paid out $1.7 billion as of Aug. 31, 2026.