A recent study from Harvard's Football Player Health Study challenges the prevailing belief that chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is the primary cause of rising suicide rates among NFL players. The research analyzed data from about 34,000 professional athletes over 40 years and found that NFL players are 20% more likely to die by suicide compared to their counterparts in basketball and baseball. However, the study highlights a significant shift: from 1979 to 2009, NFL players were actually 10% less likely to die by suicide. This trend reversed dramatically from 2009 to 2019, with NFL players becoming 260% more likely to take their own lives than players in other sports. Factors such as suicide contagion, increased media coverage of mental health issues, and misclassification of deaths contribute to this rise. The study emphasizes that CTE is just one of several factors, alongside other health conditions like sleep apnea and high blood pressure, that may lead to suicidal thoughts. The findings call for a broader understanding of mental health in football, advocating for players to discuss various health concerns with medical professionals.