The families and players wanted their brains examined because they had symptoms of CTE. This just in, 110 out of 111 people in prison broke the law! There's a risk to football and the NFL has looked the other way, but the study wasn't exactly random, and doesn't give the most accurate results for concussion percentage in the NFL.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but obviously these were players that played in a completely different era of football. There was no concussion protocol, no research on this, and concussions or head shots were something you sucked it up and went back in. None of that is good, of course, but things have changed a great deal. Is the NFL doing enough? That is debatable. But there is no doubt they take this issue much more serious now. Concussion protocol, multiple medical exams, better research data, etc. It shouldn't have taken this long and it truly sucks for the former players, but at least the issue is being addressed now. I only expect that to continue as technology improves and we know more about CTE. Football isn't going away. There is way too much money involved. I love the game and want it to be safer, but there are always going to be risks involved. JMO.
Don't forget that the NFL talent starts developing as early as grade school. More and more people are going to stop letting their kids play and schools, especially perennial loser programs, will start getting rid of their football programs. The NFL will not one day board up it's offices, it will most likely die a slow death through lack of talent and a poor on field product. Compounding their issues are their over-complications of the rules, subjective penalties/fines and the fact that they are losing viewers due to player protests (not looking for a right or wrong argument about the protests here, just stating a fact based off of surveys).