NFL Publicly Backed Brain Study While Pulling Money From It: Report

Football is a violent sport, there's no denying that. And when two 300-pound men throw their full weight into each other, bad things can happen.

It seems obvious.

When the NFL pledged $30 million to the National Institutes of Health, it painted a picture that the multi-billion dollar business was committed to making its sport safer. But a recent report from a congressional investigation into the NFL's involvement in the study paints a much different picture.

"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 NFL attempted to use its 'unrestricted gift' as leverage to steer funding away from one of its critics," read the report.

Here are the primary results of the investigation:

1. The NFL "donated" $30 million for "unrestricted" sports-related research; when $16 million was awarded to a research team looking into brain injuries from football, the NFL tried to move the money elsewhere.
2. The NFL’s Head, Neck and Spine Committee members tried to funnel themselves money for a study not chosen by the National Institute of Health.
3. The NFL’s rationalization that the Boston University study did not match its request for a longitudinal study is unfounded.
4. NIH leadership maintained the integrity of the science and the grant review process.
5. The NFL did not carry out its commitment to respect the science and prioritize health and safety.

The dispute has its origins in 2012 and a $30 million "unrestricted" grant the NFL had pledged to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, according to the congressional report. The money was to go to sports-related research funded primarily by the NIH.

But in 2015, the NFL seemed to forget what the word unrestricted means.

In 2015 the NIH gave $16 million of that gift to Dr. Robert Stern — a Boston University researcher specializing in neurodegenerative diseases and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy — as a grant in 2015. The grant would help fund a Boston University study on the long-term effect of concussions. Dr. Stern had previously been vocal about a correlation between brain damage and football, according to the report.

Shortly after, the NFL started to question whether the BU study could operate without bias. The NFL also questioned whether the BU study's research would fulfill the NFL's research goals. Eventually the NFL pulled funding from Stern's study entirely and tried to funnel it elsewhere, despite having signed an agreement giving the NIH unrestricted authority to assign the money.

The NFL then tried to re-award the money to other studies, including a study that was proposed by members of the NFL Head, Neck & Spine Committee.

"Although Dr. Ellenbogen participated as a representative of the NFL on this call, he had also been an applicant for the $16 million grant. His application, in conjunction with Dr. Kevin Guskiewicz at the University of North Carolina (UNC) and Dr. Mike McCrea at the Medical College of Wisconsin, had not been selected. Drs. Ellenbogen, Guskiewicz, and McCrea are all members of the NFL’s [Head, Neck & Spine] Committee. " read the report.

Essentially the NFL tried to divert its "gift" away from Stern and toward scientists who conveniently serve as NFL representatives.

Ultimately, the NIH stood against the NFL's attempt to influence funding and the Boston University study was funded by taxpayer money.

NFL Spokesman Brian McCarthy sent Patch this statement regarding the Congressional Report:

"The NFL rejects the allegations laid out in the Democratic Staff Report of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Committee.

There is no dispute that there were concerns raised about both the nature of the study in question and possible conflicts of interest. These concerns were raised for review and consideration through the appropriate channels. Ultimately the funding decision was made by the FNIH/NIH, not the NFL, as the FNIH's public statement of December 22, 2015 confirms. The nature of those conversations and a detailed account of the concerns were communicated in full to the committee members. It is deeply disappointing the authors of the Staff Report would make allegations directed at doctors affiliated with the NFL Head, Neck and Spine Committee without ever speaking to them.

In 2012, the NFL committed $30 million to the NIH to advance the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of head injuries. To date, $12 million has been allocated for pathology studies through the Sports and Health Research Program (SHRP), two $6-million cooperative agreements dedicated to defining the long-term changes that occur in the brain after a head injury or multiple concussions: Boston University School of Medicine and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs received $6 million for a study on CTE and post-traumatic neurodegeneration, and Mount Sinai Hospital received $6 million for a study the neuropathology of CTE and Delayed Effects of TBI.

The NFL is deeply committed to continuing to accelerate scientific research and advancements in this critical area, and we stand ready to support additional independent research to that end."