Life Expectancy for Pro Football Players Only 55, CFL Told

The league is considering rule changes to lessen the incidence of hits to the head.

As the NHL continues its soul-searching over hockey’s concussion epidemic, the CFL is coming to grips with its own, arguably much worse, health crisis. At a meeting of the Canadian Football League Players’ Association last week, team representatives were told about a University of North Carolina study that found life expectancy for pro players is only 55, largely thanks to repeated head trauma sustained over the course of their careers. While in the U.S., the NFL has identified eight particularly dangerous types of plays and made moves to outlaw them from the game, the CFL has yet to take similar action. The CFLPA is considering stricter punishment for dangerous hits, but violence will never be completely eliminated from the game.