Published: 17:51 BST, 28 August 2026 | Updated: 17:51 BST, 28 August 2026
Comedian and actor Druski has come under fire over a controversial skit appearing to mock chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the brain disease that has ravaged many NFL stars.
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is linked to repeated head impacts and its symptoms include trouble with thinking and memory loss, difficulty walking, emotional instability and suicidal thoughts.
Earlier this week, Druski released a two-minute clip in which he played the role of NFL running back 'Ray Price.' Alongside the video, he wrote: 'Athletes get concussions & LOSE THEIR MINDS.'
In the skit, Druski takes a heavy hit before performing the 'fencing pose,' a common sign of concussion. After being carted from the field, his character is caught in a police chase reminiscent of [OJ Simpson](/news/oj_simpson/index.html) and his white Bronco.
The clip later shows 'Price' struggling with memory and anger issues and forcing his way into a woman's apartment. At the time of writing it has been viewed more than 12.3million times on X.
But the video has sparked a fierce backlash from some athletes, including former NFL safety TJ Ward.
Comedian and actor Druski has come under fire over a contentious skit appearing to mock CTE
In the clip, he struggles with memory and anger issues and forces his way into an apartment
'I think CTE - universally - is the only disease it's allowed to be made fun of, which is crazy,' he said on the [Speakeasy podcast](https://x.com/NFL_DovKleiman/status/2093025746914550151).
'You wouldn't make fun of somebody with cancer, with dementia, with AIDS. You wouldn't make fun of anyone with these diseases that are taking lives. But for some reason... people that have the effects of collisions and CTE symptoms are the only people that are allowed to be made fun of.'
Former Bears guard, Kyle Long, also vented his frustration on social media. 'Druski is on a lot of s\*\*\* lists today,' he wrote, while ex-NBA All-Star Michael Redd wrote: 'Druski’s had a heck of a run, and he’s better at his craft than I ever was at mine.
'Respect to him. But he might wanna leave football alone.... making CTE a punchline? Come on.'
He added: 'I played pro sports for a living. CTE is the thing that scares guys in my world more than just about anything, and that's true across every contact sport.
'It's taken guys we grew up watching. You don't build a bit around that. Comedy's his lane, and he's great there. Football though? He might be done with that one...'
According to a new study, published earlier this week, at least a quarter of NFL players may end up with CTE. Since the disease can only be confirmed in a post-mortem brain exam the true extent among NFL players has remained unclear.
In the new study, led by Daniel Daneshvar, a professor at Harvard Medical School, and published in the British Medical Journal, researchers looked at the brains of dead players who had played at least one NFL game in the mandatory plastic helmet era that began in 1949.
The main finding comes from players who died between 2016-2021, when brain donations were most frequent. Of the 878 deaths during this period, 235 had their brains donated and examined, and 215 had confirmed CTE.
That means, at minimum, the rate of CTE was 24.5 percent if none of the brains that weren't examined would have shown CTE. The maximum estimate was 97.7 percent, and the true figure likely lies somewhere in the middle.