The Concussion and CTE Foundation released research Tuesday documenting that 10 former NFL players have died of ALS before the age of 50 since 1960, a figure that the study’s authors call alarming when placed against the statistical baseline the disease should produce in a population of that size, according to ProFootballTalk.
The expected number, based on ALS mortality rates in the general male population applied to the 19,824 NFL players whose records were studied, is 0.24. In plain terms, fewer than one ALS death before age 50 would be expected from a group of that size. The study found 10.
The expected number was just 0.24 deaths before age 50
Dr. Daniel Daneshvar, a co-author of the study, addressed the findings directly.
“ALS deaths among former NFL players, particularly those who die at younger ages, are occurring far more often than could possibly be expected by chance,” said Daniel Daneshvar, MD, PhD, co-senior author of the study, Chair of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Mass General Brigham and Harvard Medical School, and director of the HealthSpan Lab. “These findings are deeply concerning and underscore the urgent need to understand how repetitive head impacts and motor neuron disease may be connected. We must translate this knowledge into action by helping former players access specialized neurological care and accelerate research toward treatments and prevention. Every ALS diagnosis is devastating, and this data strengthens our responsibility to act with urgency.”
The study, a subset of broader research into neurodegenerative mortality among NFL players, also found that NFL players overall die of ALS at 4.5 times the rate of the general US male population when adjusted for age and race.
Among players who died before age 60, overall neurodegenerative mortality was more than 12 times the expected rate. And players under 50 had a 42-fold higher ALS mortality risk compared to men of the same age in the general population.
Study finds former NFL players die from ALS before age 50 at alarmingly high rates. https://t.co/MarfaVdlAB
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) July 14, 2026
The data also showed that players who developed ALS had played professional football approximately 2.5 years longer than players who did not, suggesting a relationship between accumulated exposure and disease risk.
Some of the former players identified publicly as dying of ALS before age 50 include 49ers linebacker Eric Scoggins at 49, Patriots and Eagles running back Kevin Turner at 46, Vikings defensive back Orlando Thomas at 42, and Oilers defensive tackle Glenn Montgomery at 31. The study did not name all 10.
The research arrives weeks after former Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson publicly announced his ALS diagnosis on Good Morning America on Jun 29, 2026, at age 40.
Johnson was diagnosed in 2025 and has said the disease has progressed rapidly. He appeared at the interview using a speech-generating device built from recordings of his own voice. Johnson subsequently launched a public campaign to revive the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.