In a scathing report from ESPN’s “Outside the Lines,” it is being reported that the House Committee on Energy and Commerce has found in a 91-page that the NFL attempted to influence a study by the National Institutes for Health on the detection of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in living patients.
The report indicates the National Football League attempted to steer the investigation away from Robert Stern, who has been an open critic of the league. After the league was unsuccessful, however, they reportedly stripped a $16 million gift to the NIH.
That led to taxpayers fronting the cost of the investigation.
“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 said.
It is a really dirty ploy by the NFL to influence the study, but luckily the NIH held firm to provide an accurate study.
“Once you get anybody who’s heavily involved with the NFL trying to influence what kind of research takes place, you break that chain that guarantees the integrity, and that’s what I think is so crucial here,” U.S. Rep. Frank Pauline (pictured) told ESPN.com. “Fortunately, the NIH didn’t take the bait. It shouldn’t be a rigged game. If it is, then people won’t really know whether what we’re finding through this research is accurate.”
The NFL provided no statement when contacted by ESPN for the report. It will be interesting to see their defense if and when they decide to respond.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports
