🌊 Damning Report for the NFL

According to new data, at least a quarter of NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 had CTE. And that’s an extremely conservative estimate.

CTE is a brain disease likely caused by repeated head injuries. Per the NIH, it eventually leads to cognitive dysfunction and neurodegeneration, and there’s no known cure. The high prevalence among NFL players has been known for years, though new data gives us a better sense of the scale.

The BMJ – previously known as the British Medical Journal – conducted a survey of the deaths of 1,712 NFL players who died between 2008 and 2021. 338 (19.7%) of the players’ brains were studied, 315 (93.2%) of which had CTE. That means at least 18.5% (315 of 1,712) had CTE, though the number could have been as high as 98%. Between 2016 and 2021, when brain donation was more frequent, the baseline was even higher at 24.5%, though, again, the actual number is likely much higher.

The study’s lead author, Dr. Daniel Daneshvar, said, “We know what’s causing it. It’s a neurodegenerative disease where we know and have complete control over the risk... We can change that cumulative force without changing the game of football.”

This is a damning report for the NFL. But we’re also old enough to remember how short-lived the reaction to the 2015 movie Concussion was and how wrong the “football will die out” crowd proved to be. Will there be change from this one?

–Max Towey

An apparent Apple leak showed next-generation AirPods with built-in cameras, igniting privacy concerns.

MacRumors discovered a video within a recent macOS showcase, in which Siri can be heard saying, “With visual intelligence, your world becomes savable. See something you like? Just ask me to save it for later.” The video shows a man wearing AirPods picking up a book and holding it up in front of his face for a couple of seconds.

The cameras would reportedly allow Siri and Apple Intelligence to “see” a user’s surroundings in real time, letting people search, save, or process visual information without pulling out their phones. If released, the technology could turn AirPods into one of the first mainstream wearable AI devices.

The apparent leak comes amid mounting privacy concerns surrounding Meta’s AI glasses. Mark Gurman – Bloomberg’s leading Apple reporter – has claimed that Apple’s AirPods cameras would not be designed to take photos or record video, but rather to identify objects and provide visual context to Siri.

Still, concerns are unlikely to subside. Discreet wearable cameras have already prompted backlash: Multiple venues in the UK – including pubs, restaurants, and courts – have banned Meta’s AI glasses. European regulators are working on similar restrictions.

The development also comes on the back of reports earlier this year that Meta subcontractors watched highly personal footage captured by users’ glasses, including videos of people using the bathroom, undressing, and having sex. AirPods – far more ubiquitous and less conspicuous than smart glasses – are already commonly worn in public spaces, bathrooms, and locker rooms.

Apple has not publicly commented on the apparent leak. The camera-equipped AirPods are reportedly not expected to hit the market until 2027.

Frankly, this feels like yet another AI “win” that would poll terribly with the public. Wearable technology may eventually become unavoidable – a necessary tool to keep pace in a workplace where others have adopted it. But I suspect few people actually want that future over one that still resembles regular human life.

–Billy Carney

Together with Incogni

When I’m out interviewing people on the street, the last thing I want is for my phone to be buzzing nonstop in my pocket. I used to get spam call after spam call. It’s distracting and annoying.

One wrong move, and falling for their trap could compromise all my personal data. Irritated by the constant spam calls and feeling increasingly at risk of phishing scams, I decided to try out Incogni’s data removal service.

Incogni scrubs my personal information from the web, removing my data from the databases that scammers rely on. Ever since I started using it, those pesky spam calls have dropped to a minimum.

Not only does Incogni help keep me focused at work, it’s keeping my data and identity safe, too. I recommend Incogni’s service to all my friends. Give it a try today, and save 55% on your subscription using this link. You won’t regret it.

The Queen of Country, the Smoky Mountain Songbird, and country music icon Dolly Parton died on Tuesday in Nashville at the age of 80. Her nephew and longtime head of security, Bryan Seaver, announced her death in a video posted on social media. He did not give a cause.

Parton was the fourth of 12 children born to a farmer father and homemaker mother in the Tennessee mountains. She sang on Knoxville radio and TV by the age of 10, appeared at the Grand Ole Opry as a teenager, and moved to Nashville the day after becoming the first in her family to finish high school.

Her big break came in 1967, when singer Porter Wagoner hired her for his syndicated TV show. She topped the country chart on her own with the song “Joshua” in 1971, and went on to write two of the most covered songs in American music history: “Jolene” (1973) – inspired by a bank teller who flirted with Parton’s husband, Carl Dean – and “I Will Always Love You,” written as a farewell to Wagoner (1974).

She crossed into pop with “Here You Come Again” (1977), into film with 9 to 5 (1980), and into business with Dollywood, her Smoky Mountains theme park. Over the course of her career, she wrote over 3,000 songs, won 10 Grammys, and entered the country, songwriters, and rock and roll halls of fame. Her Imagination Library, a book-gifting program that mails free books to children from birth until their fifth birthday, has sent more than 200M books to children, inspired by her father, who never learned to read.

Parton’s husband died in March 2025, and she postponed a Las Vegas life performance that September due to a variety of health challenges. She ultimately canceled that show in May this year, and said that she was responding well to treatment for immune and digestive issues, kidney stones, dizziness, and dehydration.

The stars were a little dimmer in the Smoky Mountains last night. Rest in peace, Dolly.

–Max Hudgins

Spread the Word, Ride the Wave

Know someone that you think would love Roca? Good news — you can gift them a subscription!

Gift a Subscription Here

Save your friends from the grips of mainstream media, and share our nonpartisan news! Gift a subscription here.

Plus, by sharing our work with your friends and family, you’re helping Roca grow and enabling us to achieve our mission. Thanks for riding the wave!

Stills from America

Below is a snapshot of the second installment of our weekly Stills from America series. You’ll find some great photos and stories from Roca’s on-the-ground reporting trips. Read the full article here.

To start, here are some photos from Max Frost’s journey through southern Indiana and Kentucky:

Plus a handful from Max Towey’s travels to his home state of Florida:

And the last three are from Missouri and Kansas, where sports writer Ryan Hinske documented the small towns grappling with shrinking organized sports:

Read the full article here! It’s free for all readers.