(NEW YORK) -- Former NFL running back LeShon Johnson was sentenced to five years in federal prison after being convicted of running a massive dogfighting operation that prosecutors said bred and trafficked hundreds of animals.

Johnson, 55, was found guilty of six dogfighting-related charges in a mixed verdict during a federal trial last year in Muskogee, Oklahoma. He was convicted of violating the federal Animal Welfare Act's prohibitions against possessing, selling, transporting and delivering animals to be used in fighting ventures.

An Oklahoma federal judge sentenced him on Thursday to 60 months in prison plus three years of supervised release. He was also fined $30,000.

Prosecutors said that since 2007, Johnson "bred and trafficked hundreds of dogs for the purpose of dog fighting around the country" in an operation known as "Mal Kant Kennels."

In 2024, authorities seized 190 pit bull-type dogs from his Oklahoma residence and dog yard, "the largest number ever seized from a single individual in a federal dog fighting case," the DOJ said in a press release.

Financial transactions showed that in the four years prior to the seizure, Johnson received more than $400,000 for the sale of his dogs, according to court filings.

Johnson had previously been convicted of dogfighting offenses in a 2004 state case and received a five-year deferred sentence, prosecutors said.

"LeShon Johnson will face justice for building another particularly egregious and violent dog fighting scheme," Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. said in a statement. "As Johnson was well aware, dog fighting is a felony in all 50 states."

Johnson played in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants from 1994 to 1999.

His attorney, Billy Coyle, asked for a sentence of 15 to 21 months, citing Johnson's need for medical care. In a sentencing memorandum, Coyle said Johnson's medical history is "unusually serious" -- including a diagnosis of severe dementia in 2025 and Parkinson's disease in 2024 and other injuries stemming from his football career.

Coyle also asked that the judge not impose a fine, saying it would "impair Mr. Johnson’s ability to meet medical, caregiving, and family-support obligations."

"Given his age, severe health conditions, lack of criminal history points, and compliance while on release, a lengthy prison term is not necessary to protect the public from future crimes," Coyle stated. "The convictions themselves, the loss of his dogs, the financial and emotional consequences of the prosecution, and a sentence within or below the properly calculated range provide substantial deterrent effect."

Prosecutors asked for a sentence of 10 years, citing the "extraordinary scope, size, and duration" of his operation and arguing that he "made a mockery" out of the sentence imposed in his prior felony dogfighting conviction.

"Defendant in particular has demonstrated a profound lack of respect for the law, in that his response to his prior felony dog fighting conviction was not to depart from his illegal practices, but rather, to grow an even larger illegal business," Senior Trial Attorney Ethan Eddy stated in a court filing ahead of the sentence.

"Defendant has contributed as much to the growth of dog fighting in this country as anyone yet encountered by federal law enforcement," he stated.

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(NEW YORK) -- The 2026 U.S. Open will feature a history-making men's final regardless of the outcome of Friday's semifinal matches.

Americans Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton are scheduled to play each other Friday night in the Grand Slam tournament's second men's semifinal.

The winner of of their match will become the first Black American man to reach a U.S. Open final since Arthur Ashe in 1972, and the first Black American man to reach any Grand Slam singles final since 1996, according to the tournament.

No. 8-seeded Shelton and No. 11-seeded Tiafoe will play their historic semifinal match inside New York's Arthur Ashe Stadium, named for the late tennis icon in 2020 in recognition of his place in tennis history, including as the first Black male to win a major singles titles and the only Black man to have won three Grand Slam titles (Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Australian Open).

Tiafoe, a son of immigrants from Sierra Leone, grew up playing tennis at a facility in Maryland, where his dad worked as a janitor. When he won the Association of Tennis Professionals' Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award in 2020, Tiafoe reflected in a letter on what Ashe meant to him.

"Nothing you ever did was about you," the now-28-year-old wrote of Ashe, adding, "You were just trying to be a person first and an athlete second. It was always about helping others. That is truly inspirational."

Shelton grew up playing tennis in the footsteps of his own father and coach, Bryan Shelton, also a pro Black tennis player who reached a ranking of No. 55 in the world at his peak.

Bryan Shelton made history in 1991 as the first Black American man to win an ATP Tour singles title since Ashe in 1978, according to his ATP bio.

While competing at this year's U.S. Open, Coco Gauff, who lost Thursday in the women's singles semifinals, spoke about what it means to see Shelton and Tiafoe face-off on the sport's biggest U.S. stage.

"I never thought I would see, be able to have the chance to see an all-Black semifinal between the guys in my lifetime," Gauff told reporters this week. "Honestly, even growing up, just look at who was playing -- I just never thought that would be able to happen. And to have also me in the semis, I think it's really cool."

Shelton and Tiafoe have played each other at the U.S. Open twice before: Shelton won their match in the quarterfinals in 2023, while Tiafoe won their third-round match the following year, in 2024.

2024 was also the last year an American man reached the U.S. Open finals, with Taylor Fritz losing to Jannik Sinner in three sets. 

Andy Roddick was the last American man to win the U.S. Open, taking home the title more than two decades ago in 2003.

This year's men's singles final will take place on Sunday, Sept. 13.

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(NEW YORK) -- Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs was convicted of misdemeanor battery on Thursday after reaching a plea agreement on charges stemming from an altercation in May with his girlfriend.

Jacobs pleaded no contest to battery and criminal damage to property, both misdemeanors, during his first court appearance in Brown County, Wisconsin, after being charged last month.

Brown County Circuit Court Judge Marc Hammer found him guilty of battery and sentenced him to a $1,000 fine. The judge also approved the terms of a deferred judgment agreement reached on the property damage charge. The terms include that, over the next 12 months, he avoids contact with the victim and completes a counseling or treatment course consistent with a batterer's intervention program.

Each charge carried a potential maximum of a nine-month jail sentence and $10,000 fine.

"I fully understand the seriousness of the situation and I take full responsibility," Jacobs told the court ahead of his conviction and sentence.

According to the probable cause statement in the criminal complaint, officers responded to a "disturbance" between Jacobs and his girlfriend at his residence in Hobart on May 23.

The victim told police that she threw Jacobs' phone after seeing he was talking to other women, and after giving him her phone to look through, the two got into a "physical struggle" after she tried to get her phone back. When she later tried to leave, he "grabbed her and threw her to the ground and she struck her head," the complaint stated. Jacobs was seen in surveillance video appearing to damage her phone during the incident, according to the complaint.

During Thursday's hearing, Jacobs confirmed that the account in the probable cause statement is accurate. He is due in court on the matter a year from now, at which point the property damage count will be dismissed if he is found to have followed the conditions of his deferred judgment agreement.

"I think that what I'm hearing today is you recognize the serious nature of these events, you've resolved to ensure that these events don't happen again, that these are out of your character, and I think the community has a right to satisfy itself that what you're telling me today in the courtroom is exactly how you're going to behave out in the community," Hammer said while issuing the sentence.

Brown County District Attorney David Lasee said the case was not charged as a domestic violence case because the state's domestic violence law requires that a person be involved in a domestic relationship, and Jacobs and the victim did not live together.

"Nonetheless, violence against women, specifically violence that occurs within the context of an intimate partner relationship, it can't be tolerated," Lasee said in court Thursday. "This is certainly a serious offense. It has many of the dynamics of an intimate partner violence case in terms of potentially controlling behavior, the use of his physical size during a physical disturbance that resulted in the crime victim being injured."

Lasee said Jacobs is "taking responsibility for his actions in this case" and that the conditions of the deferred judgment agreement are "put in place with the intent of allowing him to reflect on those character flaws and to make changes to improve himself."

Lasee argued against any jail sentence and said a fine of $1,000 is "sufficient."

"For a person in Mr. Jacobs' position, a person of prominence within the community, criminal conviction itself -- the fact that he now will carry around with him for the rest of his life a conviction for misdemeanor battery -- is punitive," he said.

"He's already seeing some of those consequences as he's been suspended by the NFL temporarily," he added.

One of Jacobs' defense attorneys, David Chesnoff, thanked the district attorney's office for a "fair resolution of this matter," and issued an apology to the Packers.

"We would like to sincerely apologize to his teammates, the Packers organization, and most importantly, the fans of the Green Bay Packers," Chesnoff told the court.

The NFL placed Jacobs on the commissioner's exempt list, which prevents him from practicing or playing in games, in the wake of him being charged late last month.

On Thursday, an NFL spokesperson said there is no change to his status and Jacobs remains on the commissioner's exempt list.

"We have been closely monitoring all developments in the matter which remains under review of the personal conduct policy," NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said in a statement.

The Packers are scheduled to open their regular season on Sunday against the Vikings in Minneapolis.

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(NEW YORK) -- Here are the scores from Wednesday’s sports events:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Twins 2, Tigers 7
Blue Jays 0, Athletics 2
Cardinals 6, Giants 7
Rangers 2, Mariners 3
Nationals 2, Padres 9
Guardians 5, Orioles 9
Astros 7, Phillies 11
Mets 15, Marlins 14
Angels 6, Red Sox 4
Rockies 1, Yankees 6
Rays 7, Braves 2
Diamondbacks 2, Royals 5
Cubs 6, Brewers 8
Pirates 4, White Sox 2
Reds 1, Dodgers 14
 

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Patriots 10, Seahawks 13

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(NEW YORK) -- Here are the scores from Thursday’s sports events:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Rays 1, Braves 3
Astros 2, Phillies 1
Rangers 3, Mariners 4
Rockies 3, Yankees 10
Pirates 2, White Sox 0

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
49ers 27, Rams 7

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) -- Two American men are just two wins away from winning this year's U.S. Open in what would be a major breakthrough for American tennis.

Americans Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe won marathon quarterfinal matches overnight Tuesday, setting up a semifinal showdown that guarantees an American man will play in Sunday's final at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York.

Tiafoe came from behind to defeat fellow American Alex Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (10-6) in a match that lasted nearly five hours Tuesday.

Shelton then upset defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in another five-set match -- 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(10-7) -- that lasted until 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, the latest finish in U.S. Open history.

The No. 8-seeded Shelton will now face No. 11-seeded Tiafoe in the semifinals on Friday.

The last American man to play in the U.S. Open finals was Taylor Fritz in 2024. The last American man to win the Grand Slam tournament was Andy Roddick in 2003.

On the women's side, two American players remain in contention.

Coco Gauff is scheduled to play Russia's Mirra Andreeva on Wednesday in a quarterfinals match.

Jessica Pegula has already served her way into the semifinals, defeating fellow American Emma Navarro in a three-set quarterfinal match Tuesday night.

Pegula will play No. 1 seed and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka on Thursday.

Gauff was the last American woman to win the singles title, taking home a victory in 2023.

The U.S. Open women's and men's singles finals will be played on Saturday, Sept. 12, and Sunday, Sept. 13, respectively.

The 2026 U.S. Open is airing on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC.

The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of ESPN and ABC News.

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(NEW YORK) -- Here are the scores from Tuesday’s sports events:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Guardians 9, Orioles 5
Astros 6, Phillies 5
Twins 3, Tigers 2
Mets 7, Marlins 5
Angels 6, Red Sox 1
Rockies 3, Yankees 5
Rays 7, Braves 1
Diamondbacks 5, Royals 3
Cubs 3, Brewers 4
Pirates 9, White Sox 3
Rangers 10, Mariners 5
Blue Jays 4, Athletics 2
Nationals 4, Padres 5
Cardinals 1, Giants 2
Reds 2, Dodgers 3

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) -- A total of six American tennis players have surged into the singles quarterfinals at the 2026 U.S. Open, the most since 2002.

On the women's side, Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro are competing in the quarterfinals Tuesday and Wednesday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York.

Pegula and Navarro will face off against each other Tuesday night, while Gauff is scheduled to play Russia's Mirra Andreeva on Wednesday.

In the men's draw, Americans Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe and Alex Michelsen are set to play in quarterfinal matches.

Tiafoe and Michelsen play each other in a match on Tuesday afternoon, while Shelton will face Spain's Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday night.

The last time this many Americans advanced so far in the U.S. Open was over 20 years ago, when eight American players reached the quarterfinals of the 2002 U.S. Open, according to the United States Tennis Association, which runs the tournament.

The U.S. Open women's and men's singles finals will be played on Saturday, Sept. 12, and Sunday, Sept. 13, respectively.

The last American man to win the Grand Slam tournament was Andy Roddick in 2003.

Gauff was the last American woman to win the singles title, taking home a victory in 2023.

The 2026 U.S. Open is airing on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC.

The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of ESPN and ABC News.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) -- Here are the scores from Thursday’s sports events:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Giants 2, Pirates 5
Blue Jays 6, Guardians 3
White Sox 2, Astros 6
Red Sox 6, Orioles 5
Brewers 1, Cubs 2
Marlins 3, Royals 7
Rays 0, Rangers 6
Athletics 7, Mariners 4
Cardinals 2, Dodgers 3

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) -- Here are the scores from Wednesday’s sports events:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Padres 3, Reds 7
Braves 9, Nationals 0
Athletics 9, Rangers 2
Orioles 5, Rockies 6
Phillies 0, Diamondbacks 1
Mariners 8, Red Sox 3
Mets 10, Rays 4
Giants 5, Pirates 4
Blue Jays 11, Guardians 0
Tigers 11, Twins 6
Marlins 9, Royals 6
Brewers 9, Cubs 5
White Sox 0, Astros 2
Yankees 6, Angels 3
Cardinals 8, Dodgers 6

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) -- Tiger Woods appeared in a Florida court on Wednesday to change his plea to no contest in his driving under the influence case. As part of the plea agreement, he agreed to a five-year driver's license suspension.

The legendary golfer initially pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test.

As part of the plea agreement, the prosecution amended the first charge to reckless driving, second offense, and the second charge to a careless driving citation. The judge imposed a five-year driver's license suspension on both charges, to run concurrently.

The license suspension "is for the safety of the public," the judge told Woods in the courtroom. "There are no exceptions. If you were to drive for any reason at all, you would go immediately back to jail."

Accompanying Woods in court was his girlfriend Vanessa Trump, the ex-wife of Donald Trump Jr. 

Woods was arrested in March following a rollover car crash in Jupiter Island, Florida, in which no one was injured, Martin County officials said.

The March 27 accident unfolded when Woods tried to pass a truck in front of him, authorities said. Woods clipped the back of the truck's trailer, causing the golfer's SUV to tip on its side, authorities said.

Two hydrocodone pills were found in Woods' pants pocket, the probable cause affidavit said.

A breathalyzer showed no alcohol in his system, but Woods refused to take a urine test, which is used to detect drugs or medication, authorities said.

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(NEW YORK) -- Here are the scores from Tuesday’s sports events:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Mets 2, Rays 6
Padres 3, Reds 4
Giants 12, Pirates 13
Blue Jays 1, Guardians 6
Braves 5, Nationals 9
Mariners 9, Red Sox 6
Tigers 2, Twins 15
Marlins 6, Royals 3
Brewers 9, Cubs 4
Athletics 5, Rangers 8
White Sox 5, Astros 1
Orioles 2, Rockies 4
Yankees 7, Angels 3
Phillies 7, Diamondbacks 1
Cardinals 13, Dodgers 8

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) -- Here are the scores from Monday’s sports events:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Giants 7, Braves 3
Mets 3, Rays 2
Padres 5, Reds 0
Marlins 3, Nationals 6
Mariners 8, Red Sox 9
Tigers 1, Twins 11
Brewers 3, Cubs 17
Athletics 1, Rangers 8
White Sox 3, Astros 6
Orioles 2, Rockies 1
Yankees 1, Angels 10
Phillies 2, Diamondbacks 1

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) -- Soccer legend Lionel Messi announced his retirement from international soccer on Monday, saying he will no longer play for the Argentina national team.

"After the time that passed since the final, thinking about it a lot, I want to communicate to everyone that I am retiring from the national team," Messi wrote in Spanish, in a message shared on Instagram. "It was a decision that hurt and hurts my soul, but I understand that this is the moment."

He continued, "I swear to you that I always gave everything, not only the last few years where everything was won, but also before and I always fought and left everything for this shirt, to give them joy and make them feel proud to be Argentines through football."

Messi last played for Argentina in the 2026 World Cup, where the team lost in the finals to Spain, 2-1.

The 39-year-old continues to play professional soccer as a forward for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami CF, where he has played since 2023.

Messi shared on Instagram that he first wrote his goodbye message in July, shortly after Argentina lost the World Cup title. Less than one month later, on Aug. 8, Messi's father, Jorge, died, which the soccer star said reinforced his decision to retire.

"I wrote these words on July 21, two days after the final. Today after my dad, I'm more convinced than before," Messi wrote.

Messi, himself a father of three sons, played 19 seasons for Argentina. He retires as the team's captain and all-time leading goal scorer and as the highest-scoring man in South American soccer history, according to ESPN.

Messi helped lead Argentina to a World Cup win over France in 2022, the country's first World Cup title in over 30 years.

There was speculation that this year's World Cup could be the last for Messi. Argentina lost to Spain in an extra-time match in front of more than 70,000 fans in New Jersey.

In his retirement announcement, which Messi wrote on notebook pages seen in a photo he shared on Instagram, the soccer star said he would miss the fans of Argentina and thanked the coaches and family members who helped him along the way.

"Thank you for all the love of these 20 years. I am going to miss hearing you from the inside very much. Now I am going to be one of you, always encouraging and supporting from the outside (in good times and bad, much more)," he wrote, later adding, "I leave with the tranquility and pride of having given you, together with my colleagues, dream moments. It was crazy to have lived it with you. I love you!"

Messi ended his message by writing, "Thank you God for making me Argentine. Let's go Argentina!"

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(LIBERTY, Mo.) -- William Jewell College football player MicahJo Barnett has died, the school announced Saturday. He was 20.

Barnett, a junior studying business administration, was a member of the William Jewell Cardinals football program and previously played football at Liberty North High School, according to the college's website.

The school announced Barnett's death after William Jewell's football game Saturday was suspended following a medical emergency on the team's sideline, according to ABC affiliate station KMBC-TV. The school did not disclose Barnett's cause of death.

"We are absolutely heartbroken over the tragic passing of MicahJo Barnett," William Jewell Vice President for Athletics Ryan Erlacher said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends, and all that love him."

Erlacher remembered Barnett as "an exceptional young man who made a tremendous impact on the Jewell and Liberty communities."

"He will be greatly missed by all," Erlacher continued. "Please keep his family in your prayers and we kindly ask for everyone to respect their privacy during this difficult time."

Barnett's teammate Jayshawn Richmond reflected on his final moments in an interview with KMBC-TV.

"He scored like, right before his final moments. And we just going to continue on where he started," Richmond said.

William Jewell College said the school and Liberty, Missouri, community were mourning Barnett's death.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Micah Jo's family, our students, the Cardinal Football family, and the rest of our community during this time of loss," the college said.

The school encouraged students and staff who need support to contact its counseling services or office of the chaplain.

A vigil honoring Barnett and his family was held Saturday night on the William Jewell College quad, according to the school. The college said funeral arrangements would be shared when they become available.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) -- Here are the scores from Sunday’s sports events:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Marlins 6, Nationals 2
Red Sox 1, Yankees 16
Rockies 2, Braves 3
Mariners 0, Blue Jays 7
Royals 1, Guardians 11
Dodgers 6, Tigers 1
Padres 4, Rays 5
White Sox 1, Twins 5
Rangers 7, Brewers 4
Pirates 5, Cardinals 4
Astros 6, Mets 3
Orioles 8, Athletics 5
Phillies 5, Angels 2
Reds 7, Cubs 5

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) -- Here are the scores from Thursday’s sports events:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Rockies 1, Nationals 7
Orioles 5, Cardinals 7
Astros 5, Yankees 1
Royals 13, Blue Jays 2
Brewers 8, Mets 2
Dodgers 0, Braves 1
Diamondbacks 1, Giants 6

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) -- Here are the scores from Wednesday’s sports events:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Rays 3, Tigers 0
Cubs 0, Diamondbacks 2
Reds 10, Giants 9
Guardians 4, Angels 3
Phillies 6, Mariners 0
Pirates 0, Padres 3
Red Sox 0, Marlins 4
Rockies 13, Nationals 1
Astros 3, Yankees 9
Royals 0, Blue Jays 3
Brewers 8, Mets 1
Dodgers 5, Braves 6
Rangers 4, White Sox 10
Orioles 8, Cardinals 7
Twins 4, Athletics 7

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) -- Here are the scores from Tuesday’s sports events:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 
Red Sox 7, Marlins 3
Rays 1, Tigers 4
Rockies 3, Nationals 1
Astros 9, Yankees 7
Royals 5, Blue Jays 3
Brewers 2, Mets 3
Dodgers 3, Braves 4
Rangers 7, White Sox 11
Orioles 13, Cardinals 1
Guardians 8, Angels 6
Cubs 4, Diamondbacks 5
Twins 2, Athletics 4
Phillies 1, Mariners 4
Pirates 1, Padres 0
Reds 1, Giants 3

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) -- At least 1 in 4 former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 may have had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), according to a new study published Monday in The BMJ.

Researchers from Mass General Brigham, Boston University, and the Concussion & CTE Foundation analyzed 1,712 former NFL players who died between 2008 and 2021 and found that 338 brains were donated for examination.

Among those donors, 315 of them, or 93.2%, had evidence of CTE, a degenerative brain disorder that can be caused by repeated head injuries.

"These repeated impacts are associated with an abnormal buildup of tau protein that damages brain cells and may eventually contribute to problems with memory, thinking, behavior and mood," Dr. Leah Croll, a neurologist at Maimonides Medical Center and assistant professor of neurology at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, who was not involved in the study, told ABC News. "Right now, CTE can only be definitively diagnosed after death."

Based on those findings, the authors estimated that the minimum prevalence of CTE among all former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 was 24.5%.

The study also examined whether more severe disease was linked to cognitive decline. Among brain donors, nearly 60% had dementia and 90.4% of those with the most severe form of CTE (stage IV) had dementia.

After accounting for differences between donors and non-donors, stage IV CTE was associated with a 44% higher risk of dementia.

Researchers noted that many cases of dementia were not captured on death certificates, suggesting the burden of neurodegenerative disease among former players may be underestimated.

"These findings are extremely concerning," Croll noted. "The true number could be substantially higher, and even this minimum estimate suggests that CTE is not a rare outcome among former NFL players. It's a sobering realization -- neurodegenerative disease is a common occupational hazard for these players."

According to Dr. Daniel Daneshvar, chair of physical medicine and Rehabilitation at Mass General Brigham, community brain bank studies have shown that CTE affects less than 1% of the general population.

"To find that somewhere between 24.5% and 97.7% of NFL players from that time period had this progressive brain disease is a wake-up call for the NFL and scientific communities," Daneshvar said in a statement.

The researchers said that future studies should look at athletes who played more recently, and that prevention efforts need to focus on reducing repetitive head impacts that lead to CTE risk, not just concussions. 

In a statement to ESPN, the NFL said it "continuously strives to make the game of football safer, including by implementing strategies to reduce concussions and head impacts."

The statement went on, "The NFL remains committed to ensuring that the NFL community has access to a robust -- and expanding -- set of resources to enhance their physical and mental well-being."

In a statement to ABC News, the NFL Players Association, the union that represents football players in matters including working conditions, said the study is "a sobering reminder that football carries real risks, and those risks can have lasting consequences for players and their families. It also reinforces one of the NFLPA's core priorities: improving player safety and supporting players throughout their lives, both during and after their careers."

The union said the study should serve as "a call to acton" to continue research, treatment development and improving access to care for those affected by long-term effects of the game.

ABC News' Youri Benadjaoud and Dr. Jade Cobern contributed to this report.

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