Jason Kelce Says He Probably Has CTE—But Is There Any Way to Spot the Condition?

Fact checked by Nick BlackmerFact checked by Nick Blackmer

• Jason Kelce, 36, recently shared that he believes it is possible he has chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

• Some athletes develop the disease, which is caused by repeated blows to the head, after years of playing contact sports.

• The disease can only be diagnosed posthumously, and experts say that people shouldn't assume they have it.

Jason Kelce took to social media last week to reveal that he “can virtually guarantee” that he has chronic traumatic encephalopathy, better known as CTE, a brain disorder associated with repeated head injuries over time.

“All the research would suggest I have some degree of it,” the recently retired Philadelphia Eagles center wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “I think it is entirely reasonable to assume I have some degree of that pathology.”

The comments came after Kelce posted about something unrelated—his belief that the famed racehorse Secretariat may have been on steroids when he won the 1973 Triple Crown. An X user shot back with a remark insinuating that Kelce must have made the claim because he has CTE.

Kelce, 36, acknowledged that there’s no way to test if he has CTE—the condition can only be definitively diagnosed from an autopsy of the brain after death. However, “the evidence suggests I probably do,” he wrote.

His comments may have you curious—is there any way to actually spot CTE? And what should you do if you think you have it?

Here’s what experts had to say.

What Is CTE?

CTE is a disorder that causes the death of nerve cells in the brain. The condition has been linked with behavioral changes such as aggression and impulsivity, as well as depression, anxiety, and cognitive impairments like poor concentration and memory issues.

These symptoms can emerge years after a person’s head injuries occur, and the condition can eventually lead to dementia and death.

“We know when the head gets hit, the brain sloshes around, fibers [are torn], and there’s inflammation,” Charles Bernick, MD, MPH, a neurology specialist at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, told Health. “The thought is if this is done repetitively, it does lead to this chain reaction [in which] chronic inflammation may stay in the brain and not repair itself.”

While most people associate CTE with blows to the head during football, the disease has also been found in the brains of boxers, hockey players, rugby players, lacrosse players, and soccer players. A 2023 study found that among 152 athletes who played contact sports and died before age 30, more than 40% had CTE.

Researchers have only begun to study CTE, and scientists still have major questions about the disease. Two pressing ones are how prevalent it is in the general population and whether it can ever be reversed once symptoms begin, Russell Lonser, MD, chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, told Health.

How Doctors Approach CTE

Short of a posthumous diagnosis, Lonser said there’s no definitive way to know if you have CTE. Even doctors have a difficult time figuring it out, he added.

“The difficult thing about this is that some of these issues like depression [and anxiety]—these are some of the most common problems people can have during a lifetime,” he said.

Some symptoms, such as poor concentration, can be attributed to many conditions, making it hard to determine if it's CTE or something else that’s causing them.

For these reasons, people who have a history of playing contact sports shouldn’t automatically assume they have CTE, Bernick said.

What Should You Do If You Suspect You Have CTE?

If you start experiencing abnormal symptoms, schedule an appointment with a doctor to see what may be causing them.

“The first thing is to get evaluated because you might find other [health issues],” Bernick said. People who play football, for example, are still vulnerable to getting other diseases that can affect their memory and behavior, he explained, and it’s important to rule those out first.

Because there’s no way to diagnose CTE accurately, there’s no treatment for it. But your doctor can help you make a plan to address individual symptoms.

“We treat it symptomatically,” Dr. Bernick said. “So if you have depression, we treat the depression.”

Related: What To Do After Hitting Your Head

Related: Signs and Symptoms of a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

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