Many former NFL players have another thing to worry about other than not receiving a sufficient pension. Now, more than ever, head injuries have been the main concern of football programs across the country, spanning from youth all the way up to the NCAA.

But it is not only affecting the younger players, some of the former NFL players are talking about how untreated or unnoticed head injuries has affected them post-career.

The talk of the NFL is the newest brain disease called, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). CTE is a type of brain disease that has a debilitating effects.

Many of the players who suffer from CTE are a majority of players who played in speed and non speed positions. Many of the speed positions included; quarterback, running back, tight end, halfback, fullback, wide receiver, defensive back, and linebacker. Some of the non-speed positions included defensive and offensive linemen.
CTE has similar effects to Alzheimer's, ALS, and Parkinson’s. Many of the players who experienced CTE in their lifetime had symptoms like; loss of memory (both short and long term), confusion, aggressiveness, parkinsonism, depression, suicidality, impaired judgement, and eventually progressive dementia.

But here’s the kicker, these symptoms do not show until decades after some of the players retire, sometimes too long for some players who end up dying from the disease. 15 years ago an organization called the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) did a study on CTE and its relationship with NFL players.
The results were brought to the NFL's attention but they ignored the study. But ignoring this would end up hurting the NFL. Three years after the study, many NFL players began to die from the same causes.

Many committed suicide, or died of dementia like symptoms. Some of which were some of the NFL's greatest players like Hall of Famers Junior Seau and John Mackey. Seau, was a subject of much interest given the circumstances of both his suicide and his NFL career.

Seau's suicide was similar of Dave Duerson who also left a note saying that his brain should be given to science. Duerson also had CTE and like Seau died the same way.

Seau's NFL career was also taken to account. His former wife, Gina Seau, recalled him always coming home in a dazed state and taking on multiple concussions. But neither the training staff nor Seau himself evaluated the hits he took, thus the NFL ridiculed for their mistreatment of player who had concussions.

Another, John Mackey, died of what at the time doctors thought to be dementia. However, he actually died from the CTE eating away at his brain tissue. Which cause his main bodily functions to come to a sudden stop.
Mackey, like Seau had taken a great deal of head shots and suffered from multiple concussions while he played NFL. But once again the NFL did not properly treat him therefore increasing the severity of the CTE.

Although the NFL says this is only with its former players, these symptoms are found in players as young as 17. In October of 2012, Nathan Stiles, died hours after his homecoming football game.

Stiles had already had a history of multiple headshots and concussions but this one in particular had been the "last straw" for his brain. When the autopsy was performed on Stiles they found CTE that was already starting to deteriorate his brain.

So what's the big deal? Well the CDC and NIOSH are both warning all athletes especially football players to watch how they tackle. Also if you suspect you have a concussion, don't let it go and "shake it off", because the effects can be deadly.