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chronic traumatic encephalopathy

Watch this haunting video of NFL concussions and see why it's time for a change.

There are 17 weeks and 256 games in the NFL season. And this year, there were 225 concussions.

Josh Begley, data artist at The Intercept, just released a haunting film showing footage of the hits that led to some of the most dangerous head injuries that occurred in the pre-season and regular season football games this year.

"I have been tracking these injuries all season. Using a variety of methods, including reviewing daily injury reports from NFL.com, I have created what I believe is the most complete dataset of individual concussions sustained during the 2017-2018 season," Begley wrote. "The resulting film, 'Concussion Protocol,' is a visual record of every concussion in the NFL this year."

[rebelmouse-image 19530823 dam="1" original_size="446x250" caption="All GIFs via "Concussion Protocol"/The Intercept." expand=1]All GIFs via "Concussion Protocol"/The Intercept.

Most of the hits are shown in reverse, with the player lying down or woozy, before we see the powerful collisions that caused the head trauma.

When shown in reverse, the hard-hitting plays cheered for by so many lose their appeal. This isn't a highlight reel — it's a horror film.

The hard hits in professional football put players at risk for serious neurological conditions long after they hang up their cleats.

A study published last summer revealed that after the brains of 111 deceased NFL players were examined, 110 were found to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

This devastating condition is a build-up of an abnormal protein in the brain. As the protein accumulates, neural pathways are disabled, which can lead to aggression, loss of impulse control, confusion, memory lapses, depression, and suicidal thoughts.

The puzzling, degenerative brain disease is usually found in people with repeated head trauma, and can only be confirmed with an autopsy.

Denver Broncos strong safety David Bruton lying on the field in pain. Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images.

The NFL has taken small steps to acknowledge the dangers of the game, but their efforts only begin to address the problem.

In 2016, the League pledged $60 million to technological and engineering advancements, which is NFL-speak for "creating a better helmet." They also devoted another $40 million to funding medical research on the effects of head injuries. They also ensured that the nearly 50 rule changes they've made since 2002 were communicated to protect players from head trauma.

And yet, here we are. 2017 saw the highest number of concussions in the past five years.

GIF from Monday Night Football/ESPN.

$100 million certainly isn't chump change, but it's pennies compared to the money spent on building stadiums or paying NFL salaries. It seems less like a genuine commitment so much as hush money — a way to get the media and concerned fans off their backs.

Behind every hit is a human being with a family and a future.

Yes, they love the game, and so do their adoring fans. But at what costs? Is the fun, tradition, and camaraderie of football worth the lifelong damage?

And before you remind me how much these athletes are paid, stop. It's not just the pros taking these punishing hits.

In a recent study, children under 12 who played tackle football were at a greater risk to experience short- and long-term neurological consequences — everything from difficulty regulating their behavior to apathy and depression.

Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images.

Professional football is an American pastime and economic engine that's not going away anytime soon. But that doesn't mean it gets a free pass.

You can cheer for your favorite teams while also wanting its players to be safe and healthy. You can enjoy a game or two on the weekends and still push for the NFL to do better.

Or maybe you can't, and enough is enough.

Decide for yourself after watching Begley's film in full.

Here's every concussion in the NFL this year https://t.co/zyzwciboSj
— Josh Begley (@Josh Begley) 1517482808

This former football star is already showing signs of brain damage. He's 36.

Antwaan Randle El is only 36 years old, and his regrets should make the NFL take a long look in the mirror.

In 2006, Antwaan Randle El achieved something thousands of kids across the U.S. dream about: throwing a game-clinching touchdown pass in the Super Bowl.

Photo by G. N. Lowrance/Getty Images.

The most unbelievable part? He wasn't even the quarterback.

Photo by SteelCityHobbies/Flickr.

He was a wide receiver.

There's a good chance you remember this play, especially if you're a Pittsburgher (or, more ruefully, if you're a Seattleite,) but if you don't, do yourself a favor and take a look. Pure awesomeness.

It's the kind of feel-good, unlikely success story that, under different circumstances, might have turned the former Pittsburgh Steeler into an ambassador for the game.

Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images.

Instead, in an astonishing interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Randle El dropped a bombshell: He regrets ever playing football.

"If I could go back, I wouldn’t," Randle El told the paper. "I would play baseball. I got drafted by the Cubs in the 14th round, but I didn’t play baseball because of my parents. They made me go to school. Don’t get me wrong, I love the game of football. But, right now, I could still be playing baseball."

The reason?

A healthy brain, left, and a brain with signs of advanced CTE, right. Photo by Boston University Center for the Study of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy/Wikimedia Commons.

According to the interview, since his retirement in 2010, Randle El has been contending with progressive physical and mental deterioration. He frequently loses his balance walking down stairs. He has trouble remembering things that happened just a few minutes earlier.

Randle El is only 36 years old.

Although Randle El has not received a diagnosis, his symptoms raise fears of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a brain disorder which has shortened the lives of too many former NFL players.

Frank Gifford, a former NFL player, was posthumously diagnosed with CTE. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

The result of repetitive mild head trauma, CTE often begins by subtly shifting the mood and personality of those who suffer from the disease. Alzheimer's- and Parkinson's-like symptoms often follow, and early death is a common result.

There is evidence that former football players are among the most commonly affected.

A landmark study conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs and Boston University examined the brains of 91 former NFL players and found evidence of CTE in a whopping 96% of them. That same year, The NFL settled a lawsuit with thousands of former players affected by symptoms of the disease for $1 billion.

What can be done about this?

No one really knows for sure. By most important metrics, football is more popular than ever. Given the sport's paramount place in American mass culture and the billions of dollars involved, major reform feels a long way off.

Some change, however, might be achievable in the short term. Making sure players are wearing helmets correctly can help prevent concussions. And education at the high school level, specifically making parents aware of the risks of playing and the slim odds of going pro, could help protect children from injury when their brains are most vulnerable and build a constituency for change from the ground up.

Randle El told the Post-Gazette that he's ultimately pessimistic that the game can be changed in a way that makes it more safe.

Randle El speaks at a pep rally before Super Bowl XLV. Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images.

"There’s no correcting it. There’s no helmet that’s going to correct it. There’s no teaching that’s going to correct it. It just comes down to it’s a physically violent game. Football players are in a car wreck every week," Randle El told the paper.

While that may or may not be true, with any luck, getting the word out about football's frequently devastating impact on former players will ensure that parents and young people considering a football career at least know the risks before they become reality.