NFL puts $23m into new brain research
The NFL has reallocated more than $US17 million ($23 million) of funding for research into concussions and the effects of brain injuries after a dispute last year related to funding for research by the National Institutes of Health.
‘‘We know this is the type of work we need to better our understanding of these diseases,’’ Allen Sills, the league’s chief medical officer, said. ‘‘These contributions are certainly going to result in improved understanding.’’
‘‘These research initiatives represent important scientific projects, with proven track records of achievement that affect public health,’’ the NFL said in a statement. ‘‘Each of these research programs receives substantial federal funding.
‘‘Through this commitment, the League hopes to advance the understanding of concussion and other brain injuries, especially among athletes and veterans.’’
The new funding commitments come after the NFL was involved in controversy and scrutinised by members of Congress over a previous commitment to NIH research.
Under a 2012 agreement, the NFL was to provide $30 million to support NIH research into brain injuries and other medical conditions affecting athletes through the Sports Health and Research Program.
That agreement with the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health expired last August. Last July, just before the expiration, Democratic members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce wrote a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell asking whether the league intended to fulfill its commitment.
The NFL told the House committee that it intended to honor its funding commitment.
‘‘We felt there was some erroneous reporting there,’’ said Jeff Miller, the NFL’s executive vice president of health and safety. ‘‘We feel good about where the money is going now. The point of all of this is the money is going to be spent to advance science.’’