NEW YORK — NFL commissioner Roger Goodell reaffirmed the league’s commitment to concussion research in a letter Thursday to the 32 team owners.
In the wake of a congressional study that concluded that NFL officials tried to strong-arm the National Institutes of Health into taking away a project from a researcher the NFL feared was biased, Goodell called for “continued and robust support of independent medical research.”
Goodell told the owners the league never considered not honoring a $30 million commitment to the NIH “in its entirety.” He also stressed that the league will provide substantial additional funding for projects relating to safety equipment, treatment of athletes who have experienced concussions, and a study relating to the incidence and prevalence of long-term health consequences.