FOXBOROUGH — In light of a new study detailing how CTE has affected NFL players, Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said he recognized the risks that come with playing football.
“Having done this for the better part of 20 years, I think we — or, at least I — knew what the risks were,” Vrabel said Wednesday. “Your kids were going to have to see you maybe be knocked out on the field and laying there unconscious, or getting another surgery, or breaking your arm, or breaking your leg. That’s kind of how most of the players, at least that I know, are wired. You love the game so much, you’re going to do whatever you can to play the game.”
According to new research published Wednesday, nearly 75 percent of NFL players who died between 2008 and 2023 were found to have CTE, a progressive degenerative brain disease likely caused by repeated head injuries.
Vrabel, who started his NFL career in 1997 and played 14 seasons before transitioning to coaching, credited the league for improving player safety over time. He also noted the increased awareness regarding CTE and its impact.
“What the league has done and what the Players Association has done, we should do everything that we possibly can so that when our players leave the game, they can be husbands, they can be fathers, they can be friends, and they can have a quality of life,” Vrabel said. “They work hard for what they earn and they should be able to enjoy it with their families. I do think that the league in being conscious and trying to make the game safer and better, is good. But I also knew what I was signing up for when I decided to play the game.”
The NFL has worked with the NFLPA to modify its concussion protocol, practice policies, and rulebook in order to prioritize player safety. Starting in 2024, the league allowed players to wear Guardian Caps, soft-shelled protective coverings that go over helmets, in games.
The Patriots have two players, center Jared Wilson and wide receiver Romeo Doubs, who regularly wear Guardian Caps.
“You can get ankle replacements, shoulder replacements, knee replacements,” Wilson told the Globe in February. “People can say whatever they want about a Guardian Cap. You can’t replace your brain. Nobody can go against that.”
Patriots safety Kevin Byard, an 11-year NFL veteran, said the league needs to continue to explore changes that underscore player safety. Among the possibilities are fewer padded practices and modified tackling techniques.
Still, the latest research only reinforced the stark concerns about the risk of NFL players developing CTE.
“We knew what we signed up for, but at the same time I think we as players and as coaches and as a team and as an organization and as an entire league, have to continue to take steps to prevent that,” Byard said. “It is a reality. It is something I may think about for my kids, like I may not put them in tackle football at 5 or 6 years old to try and save their body — if that’s what they want to do.”
Nicole Yang can be reached at nicole.yang@globe.com. Follow her on X @nicolecyang.