According to a new study, a career in football, particularly in the NFL, becomes a reason behind the degenerative brain disease, known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The study was conducted by researchers from the Department of Veterans Affairs and Boston University.

As per the study, out of 91 brains of NFL players that were donated to science, 87 were found to be positive for CTE. The study has been published by PBS Frontline. It analyzed 165 brains from persons who were either professionally, or semi-professionally, in high school or in college.

It was found that 131 brain samples were positive for CTE, which is 79% of all football players. About 40% of the positive results were due to offensive and defensive linemen. Usually, these linemen interact with another on every game.

In the beginning, many aggressive and strong concussions to the head were thought to be the reason behind CTE. The study has found that CTE is also a result of cumulative effects of minor head trauma.

According to Dr Ann McKee, lead researcher and chief of neuropathology at the VA Boston Healthcare System, “People think that we’re blowing this out of proportion, that this is a very rare disease and that we’re sensationalizing it. My response is that where I sit, this is a very real disease. We have had no problem identifying it in hundreds of player”.

CTE, a progressive degenerative disease of the brain, is found in people who suffer from repetitive brain trauma.