Druski’s Viral Football Skit Draws Laughs and Criticism as New Research Offers One of the Clearest Estimates Yet of CTE Among Former NFL Players
Druski’s viral football skit is drawing laughs and criticism just as new research offers one of the clearest estimates yet of CTE among former NFL players.
Comedian Druski’s latest viral skit is putting a serious football issue back in the national conversation: chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.
The comedian portrays a fictional football player whose life and behavior unravel after repeated head injuries, mixing the kind of exaggerated comedy that has made Druski a social media star with references viewers quickly connected to real-life NFL players and controversies.
But the timing of the video has given the jokes a much heavier backdrop.
Days before the skit began circulating, The BMJ published a major study estimating that at least nearly one-quarter of former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 had CTE at the time of their deaths.
New Study Offers Sobering Look at CTE in NFL Players
CTE is a progressive brain disease associated with repeated head impacts and has long been linked to football and other contact sports. A definitive diagnosis currently requires examination of brain tissue after death.
Researchers studied a population of 1,712 former NFL players who died between 2008 and 2021. Of those players, 338 donated their brains for examination, and 315 — more than 93% of the donated brains — were diagnosed with CTE.
Because players and families affected by neurological symptoms may be more likely to donate a brain for research, researchers did not conclude that 93% of all NFL players develop the disease.
Instead, the study calculated a range based on all known player deaths. During 2016 through 2021, when brain donations were most frequent, researchers found that at minimum 24.5% of deceased former NFL players had CTE. The actual prevalence could be considerably higher.
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The study also found that severe, stage IV CTE among brain donors was associated with dementia.
“We’ve known that this disease process can be caused by, in part, repeated traumatic brain injury. But we didn’t know how common it was,” lead researcher Dr. Daniel Daneshvar told NPR.
The NFL Players Association has highlighted the study among its latest player-health research and says its safety efforts include stronger medical protections, independent research and expanded care for current and former players.
Druski’s Comedy Hits a Sensitive Nerve
Against that backdrop, Druski’s skit has generated millions of views and sharply divided reactions.
The high-production sketch, titled “ATHLETES GET C0NCUSSI0NS & LOSE THEIR MINDS,” follows fictional running back Ray Price after he takes a violent hit that sends his helmet flying. From there, the character’s behavior becomes increasingly erratic, with the skit connecting his downward spiral directly to repeated head trauma.
That approach has left viewers debating whether the video raises awareness about CTE or turns a deadly disease into a punchline.
Former NFL safety and Super Bowl 50 champion T.J. Ward was among the strongest critics. Ward, who played 10 seasons in the NFL, said during an appearance on the Speakeasy podcast that he could acknowledge some funny moments in the skit while still believing the subject crossed a line.
“These are life-and-death situations, and at the end of the day, it’s a life-taking disease,” Ward said.
He argued that CTE is treated differently than other serious illnesses in popular culture.
“I think CTE, universally, is the only disease that’s allowed to be made fun of, which is crazy,” Ward said, adding that people would be far less accepting of comedy built around diseases such as cancer or dementia.
Ward had also reacted publicly to the video by saying, “CTE is the only disease that is allowed to be made fun of.”
Others saw the skit differently.
Former football player Vincent McDonald, who played for more than 13 years, told theGrio he did not view the video as insensitive.
“I do think Druski highlighted the everyday effects we see, and just scroll [past],” McDonald said. “There were many layers to this video, and I believe it put in people’s faces how CTE shows up in players.”
Actress Holly Robinson Peete, whose husband Rodney Peete spent 16 seasons as an NFL quarterback, summed up the uncomfortable reaction from many football families.
“As a football wife, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry,” she wrote under Druski’s Instagram post.
Football’s CTE Debate Is Far From Over
The new research does not establish that every behavioral or mental-health problem experienced by a former football player is caused by CTE. Researchers also continue studying how repetitive head impacts, genetics and other factors influence who develops the disease and how severely they are affected.
What the BMJ study does provide is stronger evidence that CTE is not confined to a small number of unusual cases.
Researchers concluded that at least nearly one in four former NFL players who died from 2016 through 2021 had the disease, making the findings one of the clearest population-based estimates yet of its prevalence among professional football players.
The issue comes as the NFL and NFLPA continue introducing measures aimed at reducing dangerous hits. On Wednesday, the league and union announced increased emphasis on enforcement of five health and safety violations, including launching, hip-drop tackles and hits on defenseless players.
They also announced a new Behavioral Health Network launching Sept. 1 that will expand confidential outpatient behavioral-health services for eligible current and former players and their families.
Whether Druski intended his skit as social commentary, pure comedy or both depends on who you ask.
