Concern over the longterm-health risks of playing football have increased each year with new information about degenerative brain disease like CTE. The recent failures of the NFL's concussion protocol have only amplified that concern.
On Tuesday, the Washington Post published a feature about former running back Larry Johnson's battle with what he thinks is CTE at age 38. Right now, CTE cannot be diagnosed in living patients, but 22-year-old Steelers cornerback Artie Burns already thinks he has the illness.
In a roundtable with Sports Illustrated's MMQB, Burns revealed that he believes he'd test positive for CTE if a living test became available. Via SI.com:
"I definitely know I have it. I'm going to [test positive for] CTE. I don't need a test. Is it going to tell me how much I have? We play a physical sport, man. Humans are not made to run into each other."
Out of the six players asked, Burns was the only player who suspected that he had CTE. Burns had not been listed on the Steelers' injury report at any point in his two-year career.
Among the players asked about how they would respond to a positive test, Michael Bennett and Kirk Cousins said they would retire.
You can read the full roundtable here.
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