A recent study by the Matthew Gfellar Center at UNC-Chapel Hill has found that the number of years played and playing position do not predict long-term physical or mental health outcomes in former NFL players. The research, which included over 1,500 former professional football athletes, challenges the common belief that these factors are reliable indicators of head injury risk.
Researchers focused on whether career length or playing position could serve as effective predictors for later health issues among retired players. Their analysis showed that neither factor was linked to poorer health outcomes. Instead, a player's documented concussion history provided a more accurate assessment of who might face long-term health challenges.
"It is often thought that certain positions are at higher risk of sustaining concussion, which may be related to shorter playing careers and worse long-term health outcomes, but that's not what we found," said Wesley Cole, co-investigator and first author on the paper.
The study is part of the multisite NFL-LONG project and represents one of the largest examinations of former NFL players to date. The research team analyzed years played and position alongside concussion history, sleep quality, pain levels, and other health variables to get a comprehensive understanding of long-term risks.
"When we took concussion history and other health and demographic factors like sleep and pain into account, neither playing position nor years played were linked to poorer long-term mental or physical health outcomes," said J.D. DeFreese, co-investigator and co-author of the paper.
The findings suggest that future research and sports health guidelines should focus on confirmed concussion history rather than assumptions based on an athlete's position or duration in the league.
