“The league probably needs to do more in communicating ... the research that it is supporting.”

pledged $135 million toward research.

Yet the NFL still can’t win for losing on this front.

Researchers just happened to announce Tuesday that former defensive end Bubba Smith (Moses Hightower of Police Academy fame) suffered from CTE, too.

And for all that the NFL has pledged, the league looks silly in trying to steer research away from Stern — although Goodell and several owners contend that such back-and-forth dialogue is normal for these types of projects.

That’s a tough sell when the NFL’s big grant to the NIH was trumpeted as unconditional.

Whatever progress the NFL has made in its campaign to ensure the world that football is safe seemingly has been set back by the type of scenario that further undermines public trust.

“The league needs to respond to that perception,” Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank said. “I think perception is the right word, but reality is different.”

Blank, whose meeting was highlighted by Atlanta winning its bid to host Super Bowl LIII, said he felt Goodell’s passion and energy as the commissioner discussed the report with owners.

One owner, though, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he wasn’t comfortable speaking publicly on the matter, indicated there was sentiment that Stern was biased against the NFL.

All told, the NFL — which jumps from one crisis to another, including the Tom Brady Deflategate matter that is pending an appeal filed Monday — is circling the wagons again.

Blank, for one, acknowledges the image hit of this fresh case and the challenge ahead.

“The league probably needs to do more in communicating, I think, the research that it is supporting and its side on some of the issues and arguments,” he said.

“I don’t think these campaigns, when they come up, it will be one-and-done. I think you have to reiterate why you’re involved in this, why we’re committing these resources behind it, why we care about it.”

That’s all well and good. But getting people to believe it is surely another matter.