Before Chris Borland decided to walk away from the NFL in 2015, he spent a season learning about the long-term risks of the sport, reading books and talking to neuroscientists.
Nobody mentioned Parkinsons disease. A single article, he said, referred to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.
It was mostly about CTE [chronic traumatic encephalopathy], said Borland, who retired at age 24 after a standout rookie season as a linebacker with the San Francisco 49ers.
Three years later, the number of players with a Parkinsons or ALS diagnosis who have applied for and received payments under the NFLs concussion settlement is significantly larger than projected, raising the possibility that professional football players may be at greater risk of developing the neurodegenerative diseases than previously believed.
In the 18 months since the settlement went into effect, 113 Parkinsons and 42 ALS claims were filed by former players or their representatives. Of those, 81 Parkinsons and 30 ALS claims worth a combined $146.5 million either have been paid or approved.
Those figures dwarf projections made in a report commissioned by the players lawyers, which estimated that 14 Parkinsons and 18 ALS claims worth a combined $52.6 million would be paid over the 65-year duration of the settlement. A report commissioned by the NFL predicted 31 paid ALS claims over the settlements lifespan; it did not provide specific numbers for Parkinsons.
Though research has established a link between brain injury and increased Parkinsons risk as well as a possible link between playing in the NFL and increased ALS risk there is no consensus within the scientific community about how repetitive head trauma contributes to movement disorders. As such, scientists are uncertain why the rates of both diseases among retirees enrolled in the settlement are higher than projected.
Those are startling numbers, said Dr. Charles Bernick, associate director of the Cleveland Clinics Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas and the lead researcher of an ongoing, long-term study of the brains of professional boxers and mixed martial arts fighters.
We really dont know how much of an increased risk there is for those diseases among retired football players, or in combat sports like boxing. But if repetitive head trauma is a risk factor, we need to understand that. It has major public health implications.
The approximate rate of Parkinsons in the general population increases with age, from 41 cases per 100,000 people for ages 40 to 49 to 425 per 100,000 people for ages 60 to 74. For ALS, rates range from 3.8 cases per 100,000 people for ages 40 to 49 to 20 per 100,000 people for ages 70 to 79.
The rate of paid or approved Parkinsons cases within the group of NFL retirees enrolled in the settlement is 471 per 100,000, while the rate of paid or approved ALS cases is 174 per 100,000.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said that early claim numbers are not necessarily predictive of future claim levels over the settlements lifetime. ... Thomas Vasquez, an economic consultant who wrote the players report, said in a recent court filing that 80% of the former players eligible under the settlement are participating in the deal, more than the 59% he predicted in 2014.
Even with 100% participation, the reports previous maximum projections of 31 ALS and 24 Parkinsons cases over 65 years fall far short of the number of current claims.
What I mean is that theres a huge difference in the mentality between rugby and football players. By wearing less protective gear, rugby encourages players to play the game in a way that doesnt put their well-being at risk.
In contrast, with all their pads, football players look indestructible to other players, leading players to go all out on every hit. Players also feel indestructible, making them okay with matching a tacklers full-force hit with a full-force counter hit. Theyre also much more likely to put themselves in harms way. The athletes psyche plays a huge roll in how they play their game.