CDC Study of Retired NFL Players Fails to Find Evidence of Higher Suicide Rate

A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published in May's American Journal of Sports Medicine did not find that retired NFL players are more likely to commit suicide than the general population.  

According to Tom Pelissero of USA Today, the study tracked 3,439 former players who competed in the league from 1959 through 1988. Twelve of them committed suicide as opposed to the expected number of 25 when taking into account a comparable cross-section of the population comprised of people who did not play football.

While an increased suicide rate among former NFL players has long been assumed due to the risk of concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) that comes along with playing the sport, the study concluded that more research is needed:

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Clearly, our one study does not resolve the issue of suicide in football. Before reliable conclusions can be drawn on any relationship among football play, concussion, CTE, and suicide, more work needs to be done in several areas: (1) quantitatively assessing football-related risk factors, particularly in collecting valid concussion data; (2) collecting longitudinal non–football related suicide risk factor data, including the existence and prevalence of recurring pain among current and retired players; and (3) analysis of how the higher income and socioeconomic profile of professional football players compared to the general population positively or negatively affects suicide risk.

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Per Pelissero, the study accounted only for those who played in at least five NFL seasons, and it focused solely on players who died from suicide rather than those who attempted it and lived.

While the CDC's study on NFL players didn't yield conclusive results regarding a link between playing football and suicide, a Canadian Medical Association Journal study published in February found that those who have suffered a concussion are three times more likely to commit suicide than the general population, according to Erin Blakemore of the Washington Post.

A number of studies have been done on the subject, and the fact that there is no definitive answer suggests even more are needed in order to understand the psychological impact of playing in the NFL.

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