NFL expects 1 in 3 players to develop dementia or Alzheimer's

The NFL has revealed frightening details about players' health that it spent many years denying.

Federal documents released in court stated that 1 in 3 retired players is expected to develop long-term cognitive problems, like Alzheimer's or dementia, years earlier than the general population.

The New York Times published the story on Friday, September 12 - as roughly 5,000 former NFL players continue working to settle a lawsuit against the league for not providing adequate information that linked football-related head trauma to permanent head injuries.

Last year, it was announced that the NFL would pay as much as $765 million to those players, but that was rejected by a judge who said it wasn't enough to cover the costs of the estimated 18,000 retired players under the agreement.

According to the CDC, each year U.S. Emergency departments treat more than 170,000 sport-related traumatic brain injuries, including concussions in young people.

Some say it's in part due to the equipment.

Robert Rumfelt who told WXTX, "What the research is finding is that the head injuries are on the rise because the equipment is giving a false sense of security."

He created a helmet designed to completely eliminate the possibility of a concussion or spinal injury.

He's currently trying to raise funding to test the design with Auburn University.

And CNN reported earlier this year that researchers at Riddell are developing a "smart helmet" that will essentially measure the impact of collisions on the field and send alerts when player's health might be in danger.