[jnordwick]

Helmets have changed. They have better exterior material, the inside is inflatable to customize to individuals, the shell has flex like car panels, etc.

But CTE is about repeated impact, so most CTE cases now are from previous poor helmet designs, not from modern helmets.

Also because of the repeated nature, single impact helmets aren't the important ones. Linemen have the biggest problems and they aren't the ones getting laid out from thunderous impacts like a receiver.

To protect against those, modern helmets have stronger face masks and wider field of vision so a ball carrier can see it coming better. It is those blind hits that hurt.

I hope to see modern CTE rates come down from improved helmets but it will take a decade plus to see the results in the pros.