In the past few years, concern and awareness of the dangers entailed by head trauma, particularly I the sport of American football, has grown. And recently, a study published by Frontline stated that a total of 87 out of 91 players were found to have tested positive for the degenerative brain disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The researchers with the Department of Veterans Affairs and Boston University also found the disease in 79 percent of all football players.

As noted by Frontline, the disease if widely believed to stem from repetitive trauma to the head and can lead to conditions such as memory loss, depression and dementia.

The report points out that in total, the lab found CTE in the brain tissue of 131 out of 165 individuals who, before their deaths, played football either professionally, semi-professionally, in college or in high school.

"people think that we're blowing this out of proportion, that this is a very rare disease and that we're sensationalizing it," VA Boston Healthcare System chief of neuropathology Dr. Ann McKee told Frontline.

My response is that where I sit, this is a very real disease. We have had no problem identifying it in hundreds of players."

The NFL has since released a statement, emphasizing their commitment to making the sport safer.

"We are dedicated to making football safer and continue to take steps to protect players, including rule changes, advanced sideline technology, and expanded medical resources," the statement read.

We continue to make significant investments in independent research through our gifts to Boston University, the [National Institute of Health] and other efforts to accelerate the science and understanding of these issues."

As noted by CBSSports.com, in 2010, the NFL donated $1 million to the same brain bank that helped carry out the research published by Frontline.