SYDNEY (AP) — A study has found 31 rugby league players in Australia have been diagnosed with the degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported.

The ABC reported Australian Sports Brain Bank findings that showed players in their 20s, 30s and 40s had the degenerative brain disease, which can only be diagnosed after death. Of the 51 rugby league players’ brains donated, 31 were found to have CTE. The donors had played at various levels of the sport, from amateur to professional.

CTE has also been found in former NFL players and others who play rugby union and other contact sports.

NRL star player and coach Paul Green and Manly Sea Eagles player Keith Titmuss, who was only 20 when he died after a practice session in hot conditions in 2020, were among the rugby league players identified in the study.

The ABC said it had obtained the latest statistics, which were based on the first 150 brain examinations of people who played contact sports completed at the brain bank.

The ABC said the paper was presented by molecular biologist and data scientist Jennifer Cropley at the International Sports Concussion Conference in Melbourne on Tuesday.

Domestic media, including The Australian newspaper, reported that the conference had barred reporters from attending.

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