NFL tried to improperly influence brain injury study: lawmakers

Still plenty of air in ‘Deflategate’ court case

WASHINGTON, May 24, (Agencies): The National Football League attempted to improperly influence a major study into links between the sport and brain disease, a report by US lawmakers found on Monday.

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce ruled in a 91-page report that the NFL and several of the organization’s top health officials had waged a behindthe-scenes campaign to try and affect the outcome of the research study.

The claims first came to light in a story by ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” program.

The Congressional report sided with the ESPN show’s findings, describing how the NFL had pressured the National Institutes of Health to take the $16 million project away from a prominent Boston University researcher.

The NFL had sought to redirect the money to members of the league’s own committee on brain injuries, according to ESPN.

The funding for the study came from a $30 million “unrestricted gift” the NFL gave the NIH in 2012.

“In this instance, our investigation has shown that while the NFL had been publicly proclaiming its role as funder and accelerator of important research, it was privately attempting to influence that research,” the report states.

Pallone

Clayton Kershaw #22 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches to the Cincinnati Reds during the first inning at Dodger Stadium on May 23 in Los Angeles, California. (AFP)