Career NFL players do not have higher mortality rate than replacement NFL players, study finds — 6 takeaways

Orthopedic Sports Medicine

Career participation in the NFL is not associated with a greater all-cause mortality risk than participation as an NFL replacement player, a study in JAMA found.

Here are six things to know:

 

1. Studies of professional football players relative to the general population have demonstrated the players' lower mortality, but the study authors here contend that those studies may have been subject to selection bias.

 

2. This retrospective cohort study involved 3,812 retired NFL players who debuted between 1982 and 1992, including 2,933 regular players and 879 replacement players. The replacement players were temporarily hired to play during a three-game league-wide player strike in 1987.

 

3. At the end of the follow-up period, 144 NFL players — 4.9 percent — and 37 replacement players — 4.2 percent — were deceased. The adjusted mortality hazard ratio for NFL players relative to replacements was 1.38.

 

4. The most common causes of death among career players were cardiometabolic disease, transportation injuries, unintentional injuries and neoplasms. Among replacement players, the most common causes of death were cardiometabolic disease, self-harm and interpersonal violence and neoplasms.

 

5. There was no statistically significant difference in all-cause mortality between career NFL players and replacement players.

 

6. The study authors caution that NFL cohorts who debuted at different times may face different mortality risks.

 

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