Congressional Report Says NFL Meddled in NIH Study on Football, Brain Disease

A congressional investigation found the NFL tried to influence a National Institutes of Health study on the link between football and brain injuries before pulling its funding when the NIH thwarted its attempts.

Steve Fainaru and Mark Fainaru-Wada of ESPN's Outside the Lines obtained the 91-page congressional report, which details the NFL's improper strong-arming efforts. According to the report, the NFL was displeased with the choice of Boston University's Dr. Robert Stern and pulled its $16 million contribution when the NIH refused to change its selection.

"It's one of the most troubling and disturbing reports I've seen," NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith said Monday on SportsCenter, via the report. "It reaffirms the fact that the league has its own view about how they care about players in the NFL."

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin also commented:

"We are reviewing the [Congressional] report but categorically reject any suggestion of improper influence," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said, via Pro Football Talk.

Lindsay Adler of Buzzfeed later provided a full statement from the league:

"

NFL statement on NFL/NIH/FNIH congressional investigation pic.twitter.com/mYNKBlCXGS

— Lindsey Adler (@Lahlahlindsey) May 23, 2016"

Taxpayer money was instead used to fund the study, which starts next week. Stern is trying to find a test that can detect chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain condition linked to repetitive head trauma, in living patients. Current tests can only accurately diagnose CTE posthumously.

"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.

The NFL had pledged $30 million to the NIH in 2012, as part of its ongoing efforts to examine the link between head injuries and the sport.

However, the league began exerting its influence once the NIH selected Boston University over the NFL's preferred candidates. Emails uncovered by the congressional investigation found the NFL, through its own employees and other members of the medical community who stood to gain professionally, tried to discredit the BU researchers as being unfairly biased.

The NIH determined the allegations of bias against Stern were "unfounded."

"They wanted to look like the good guy, like they were giving money for this research," U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. told OTL. "But as soon as they found out that it might be somebody who they don't like who's doing the research, they were reneging on their commitment, essentially."

The report highlights Dr. Richard Ellenbogen as one of Stern's most strident opponents. Ellenbogen, however, applied for the research grant himself at the University of Washington and has represented the NFL in its objections.

Boston University has been at the forefront of research on concussions and CTE, with its institute finding a harrowing link between brain injuries and NFL players. Researchers found 87 of the 91 brains of deceased NFL players studied showed signs of CTE. Stern's study is attempting to find a reliable test for the living, which could help in monitoring and managing the symptoms over the long term.

Dr. Maria Freire, the executive director of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, said the NFL's actions put the NIH in dire financial straits. By pulling its funding, the NIH "will be unable to fund other meritorious research for several years," she said in an email to the league.

The NFL has denied Boston University's part in the study had anything to do with its backing out.

Follow Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) on Twitter.