Ex-Nfl Players Not At Greater Risk Of Suicide Than General Population: Study

[Champ Kind]

Former professional football players are not at a greater risk of suicide than the general U.S. population, according to a new study by the federal government. Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the suicide rate for nearly 3,500 retired National Football League players who played at least five seasons between 1959 and 1988 was less than half of what would be expected among a comparable selection of the general population based on gender, race and age. The mounting evidence that football players can develop neurological problems due to concussions and repeated head trauma has prompted questions about whether those brain injuries might lead former players to kill themselves more often.

 

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