CTE can only be diagnosed after death. Living football players are trying to change that

Nbcwashington · Aug 12, 2026 · 1339 words · By David Brandt; The Associated Press

Comparison of CTE and Alzheimer's NFL Player Health and Safety Medical Research on CTE

headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing

Generate a natural audio summary of this story

Daily briefing

What to know about Comparison of CTE and Alzheimer's

Matt Hasselbeck took some nasty hits to the head during his 17-year NFL career, four years at Boston College and a childhood full of sports, but the quarterback seems to have emerged from more than two decades of collisions relatively unscathed, enjoying…

Claims checked 13

Techniques found 1

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center86%

Right14%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

The 50-year-old knows that some of his friends and former teammates haven't been as lucky.

Common ground

Stream NBC4 newscasts for free right here, right now.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Comparison of CTE and Alzheimer's story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that the three-time Pro Bowl selection recently spent two days at Boston University, going through a battery of scans and tests?
How does this story connect Comparison of CTE and Alzheimer's with NFL Player Health and Safety over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/sports/nfl/matt-hasselbeck-cte-study-diagnosi…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 70% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 13 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

verified Verified By Reference 4

schedule Pending 3

check_circle Corroborated 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

verified Verified 1

cancel Disputed 1

verified

Claim 1: “the three-time Pro Bowl selection recently spent two days at Boston University, going through a battery of scans and tests”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While Wikipedia confirms he is a former NFL quarterback, the provided evidence does not mention him being a three-time Pro Bowl selection or his recent visit to Boston University for scans.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Matthew Michael Hasselbeck (born September 25, 1975) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons, primarily with the Seattle…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Hasselbeck

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Matthew Thomas Ryan (born May 17, 1985) is an American professional football executive and former quarterback who is the president of football for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Ryan_(American_football)

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Timothy Thomas Hasselbeck (born April 6, 1978) is an American sports journalist and former professional football player who is an analyst for ESPN. He played as a quarterback for eight seasons in the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Hasselbeck

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 2: “CTE has been diagnosed in more than 100 former NFL players”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia explicitly states that CTE has been found in 345 of 376 deceased former NFL players according to a 2023 report, which far exceeds the 'more than 100' claim.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the N…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Football_League

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Bennet Ifeakandu Omalu (; born September 30, 1968) is a Nigerian and American physician, forensic pathologist, and neuropathologist who was the first to discover and publish findings on chronic trauma…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bennet_Omalu

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a type of brain damage that has been found in 345 of 376 deceased former National Football League (NFL) players, according to a 2023 report by the Boston Univ…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NFL_players_with_chron…

+ 3 more evidence sources

check_circle

Claim 3: “Alosco is the principal investigator in Boston and there are also sites in California, Arizona, Texas and Florida”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web sources confirm Alosco is the principal investigator in Boston and that the study has sites in California, Arizona, Texas, and Florida.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Alosco is the principal investigator in Boston and there are also sites in California, Arizona, Texas and Florida with potentially more to come. The study seeks two types of people: Those who played p…
https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/sports/nfl/matt-hasselbec…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Mike Alosco, PhD. Site PI Boston University CTE Center.The DIAGNOSE CTE-I Research Project was an 8-year multi-site research study funded by the National Institutes of Health that ran from 2015-2023.
https://www.diagnosecte.org/?trk=public_profile__reactions-t…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Dr. Alosco is Co-Director of Clinical Research at the BU CTE Center. He is the Project Lead of a multisite NIH/NINDS-funded U54 that is examining the late neuropathologies of exposure to repetitive he…
https://www.bu.edu/cte/profile/michael-alosco/

schedule

Claim 4: “Hasselbeck's pro career spanned from 1998 to 2015”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 5: “The National Institutes of Health is sponsoring the current study, awarding $15 million for the research in 2025.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 6: “Right now, CTE can only be diagnosed after death.”

CORROBORATED

Three independent web sources explicitly state that CTE can currently only be diagnosed posthumously or via autopsy.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — CTE can currently only be diagnosed posthumously, so this is a huge development.CTE can be diagnosed posthumously by examining brain tissue for the presence of abnormal tau proteins in the brain. Tau …
https://www.sbnation.com/2017/9/26/16369100/cte-living-patie…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Currently, CTE can only be diagnosed via autopsy. Roughly one-third of people who are posthumously diagnosed with CTE die by suicide.
https://www.endeavorhealth.org/articles/groundbreaking-trial…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — He was first diagnosed with cognitive impairment in 1999 — six years before Pittsburgh center Mike Webster’s CTE diagnosis brought the disease into the mainstream media.(Because it requires an examina…
https://fox4kc.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-nfl-widows-struggled-…

help

Claim 7: “Bryan Savage, a 56-year-old who lives in Maryland, is a former linebacker at Union College in Schenectady, New York — an NCAA Division III school.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding Bryan Savage.

verified

Claim 8: “Michael Alosco, co-director of clinical research at the Boston University CTE Center”

VERIFIED

Web results from the CTE Center and other research sources confirm Dr. Michael Alosco is the Co-Director of Clinical Research at the BU CTE Center.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Motown founder Berry Gordy believes Michael has more potential as a solo artist. In 1978, Michael signs with Epic Records for his first solo album as an adult, Off the Wall, with Quincy Jones producin…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_(2026_film)

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop ", he is widely regarded as one of the most culturally…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Apr 24, 2026 · The early life of musician Michael Jackson, from the discovery of his talent as the lead of the Jackson Five to the artist whose creative ambition fueled a pursuit to become the biggest…
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11378946/

verified

Claim 9: “The 50-year-old knows that some of his friends and former teammates haven't been as lucky.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Multiple sources, including Pro-Football-Reference and Famous Birthdays, explicitly state Matt Hasselbeck is 50 years old.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2003 National Football Conference (NFC) Wild Card playoff game was a National Football League (NFL) playoff game between the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers on January 4, 2004. The game, wh…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_NFC_Wild_Card_playoff_gam…

menu_book

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 10: “Some high-profile football players diagnosed with CTE after their deaths include Hall of Famers like linebacker Junior Seau, and quarterback Ken Stabler, along with former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence confirms CTE is a neurodegenerative disease and mentions a list of NFL players with CTE, but the specific names (Junior Seau, Ken Stabler, Aaron Hernandez) are not explicitly listed in the provided snippets.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated trauma to the head. The encephalopathy symptoms can include behavioral problems, mood problems, and problems wi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_traumatic_encephalopat…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The National Football League (NFL) is the premier professional American football league in the United States and the world, and is also one of the major North American professional sports leagues, and…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NFL_controversies

+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 11: “Nicholas Ashton, the principal investigator in Phoenix”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding Nicholas Ashton.

schedule

Claim 12: “Hasselbeck — who played in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

cancel

Claim 13: “Matt Hasselbeck took some nasty hits to the head during his 17-year NFL career, four years at Boston College”

DISPUTED

Wikipedia confirms Matt Hasselbeck played college football at Boston College, but it states he played in the NFL for 18 seasons, whereas the claim states 17 years.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Elisabeth DelPadre Hasselbeck (née Filarski; born May 28, 1977) is an American television personality and talk show host. She rose to prominence in 2001 as a contestant on the second season of the Ame…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_Hasselbeck

menu_book

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.