Not only did Sept. 5, 2012, mark the start of another season for the National Football League with a matchup of longtime rivals the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants, it also marked the day the NFL agreed to contribute $30 million – the league’s largest single philanthropic gift ever – to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health to study the long-term impact of brain injuries and other areas of research.
The donation will be used to form a new sports and health research program at the NIH.
Courtesy Wikimedia Commons user Staff Sgt. Bradley Lail, USAF
NFL Commisioner Roger Goodell
"Specific plans for the research to be undertaken remain to be developed, but potential areas under discussion include chronic traumatic encephalopathy; concussion; understanding the potential relationship between traumatic brain injury and late-life neurodegenerative disorders, especially Alzheimer’s disease; chronic degenerative joint disease; the transition from acute to chronic pain; sudden cardiac arrest in young athletes; and heat and hydration-related illness and injury," according to a press release about the gift. "The FNIH hopes to welcome other donors, including additional sports organizations, to the collaboration."
The move follows widespread media attention in recent years regarding how multiple concussions impact the brain health of football players and other athletes. In a related press release, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said that he hopes the grant "will help accelerate the medical community’s pursuit of pioneering research to enhance the health of athletes past, present and future. This research will extend beyond the NFL playing field and benefit athletes at all levels and others, including members of our military."
–Doug Brunk (@dougbrunk on Twitter)