NFL pulls funding from CTE study ($16 million)
- Thread starter Devizier
- Start date
Kind of weird that the NFL was giving money to the NIH in the first place. NIH is the agency that provides grant funding to medical schools and biology departments across the country for basic and applied research of medical relevance. They also have their own campus, and I guess there's no reason their own researchers can't get funding from elsewhere, but it seems kind of strange.
From the article: "The NFL's $30 million grant -- its largest single donation -- is administered by the Foundation for the NIH (FNIH), a nonprofit organization that solicits donations for NIH research."
They probably thought they were buying an "independent study" and it turns out they were actually getting an independent study.
Ah, but it got them favorable PR for that news cycle and helped throw some water on the CTE fire that was building. The NFL is not really on a quest for answers.
NIH funding goes out to many researchers who are not working on NIH campuses.
This also seems like the kind of thing NIH should be funding, to the extent that the experts on their review boards believe more research can lead to less CTE, which seems likely (in the sense that maybe better understanding can inform things like helmet redesign and rules changes). Enough kids play football that it is a legitimate public health issue.
The NFL was hoping to hide behind the NIH's reputation for scientific integrity while dictating the terms of who would receive the funding. (Because, NFL.) Of course, this was bound to blow up on them because the researchers at BU actually want to learn about the issue instead of simply being toadies for the NFL.
What makes all of this particularly baffling is that as recently as last month in a 60 Minutes interview, the NFL was pointing to their grant as evidence of just how much they cared about player safety.
GJGE, NFL.
From the ESPN article, "The NFL has said repeatedly that it has no control over how that money is spent, but the league balked at this study, sources said, because the NIH awarded the project to a group led by a prominent Boston University researcher who has been critical of the league."
Once again, the NFL dresses in the robes of integrity and goodness while pursuing something else entirely.
Actually, sounds like now it's yours and mine. NIH already committed to funding it, and then the NFL pulled it's grant, so now the tax payers are on the hook. (Which I'm 100% find with, this research should absolutely be funded, just a dickish move by the NFL).
The NFL arguing that the person in charge is biased and thus a different approach should be taken is quite rich in irony.
Think Bob Kraft and Tom Brady might wish that was a consistent standard rather than a double standard?
Think Bob Kraft and Tom Brady might wish that was a consistent standard rather than a double standard?
@soxfan121
Sounds like grounds for another article...
The good news is that the grant will still get funded, just not by any of the money donated by the NFL to the FINH in 2012. From the article, it is unclear whether the NFL actually pulled any of the money, or just vetoed the use of these funds towards this particular grant.
Sounds like grounds for another article...
The good news is that the grant will still get funded, just not by any of the money donated by the NFL to the FINH in 2012. From the article, it is unclear whether the NFL actually pulled any of the money, or just vetoed the use of these funds towards this particular grant.
"Unrestricted" is in the NFL's own 2012 Press Release:
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE GRANTS
$30 MILLION IN UNRESTRICTED FUNDING TO THE
FOUNDATION FOR THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE GRANTS
$30 MILLION IN UNRESTRICTED FUNDING TO THE
FOUNDATION FOR THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH
I expect that the NFL had competent lawyers build in escape clauses in whatever agreement there was in connection with this "grant" but I would love to see them get sued on a promissory estoppel or enforceable charitable promise theory.
I imagine in the future organizations will be somewhat skeptical of "grants" from the NFL to the extent they do not yet have the money in hand. I hope the NFL really gets smeared for this. What an embarrassment.
I imagine in the future organizations will be somewhat skeptical of "grants" from the NFL to the extent they do not yet have the money in hand. I hope the NFL really gets smeared for this. What an embarrassment.
They sure can issue rebuttals to ESPN stories of questionable accuracy pretty quickly when it suites them.
and now the government is involved
Energy and Commerce @HouseCommerce 2h2 hours ago
Chmn @RepFredUpton announces comprehensive review of causes, effects, and treatments for #Concussions -> http://1.usa.gov/1U2zIr4
@soxfan121
Energy and Commerce @HouseCommerce 2h2 hours ago
Chmn @RepFredUpton announces comprehensive review of causes, effects, and treatments for #Concussions -> http://1.usa.gov/1U2zIr4
@soxfan121
Just be sure not to post crazy talk like this in a game thread, and you should be good to go.
As a cancer researcher, my first reaction to this NFL donation to NIH was that it sounded like the tobacco industry funding of cancer research years ago. Specifically, the general interpretation back then was that the tobacco industry did this to raise some doubt as to the involvement of tobacco in causing lung cancer by in effect claiming or inferring that if the connection was clear, research would not be needed. It's a cynical viewpoint here but nonetheless possible that the NFL is also funding research on this to suggest that the football-brain disease cause-effect is still uncertain.
Wow - Congress and the NFL conflated. Okay, I'll bite:
One is an organization dominated by venal, doubletalking politicians uninterested in anything other than furthering their already obscene reserves of wealth and power.
The other resides in the Capital Building.
Concussion Expert: Over 90% of NFL Players Have Brain Disease-TIME
NFL cant keep its head in the sand on concussions anymore
NFL cant keep its head in the sand on concussions anymore
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Honestly though. It sucks that this movie is coming out now with all of this competition currently in theaters. Other than in the sports realm, this movie will get very little press which is a shame.... Hopefully I am wrong and some of the news sites/stations cover the movie once it gets released but im not getting my hopes up
Yeah, they pulled the funding for the study when they found out that Jeff Pash wouldn't be allowed to edit the report.
You mean the guy who's like the worlds leading expert on CTE?
Yeah, fuck that guy.
I feel generally the same way. It's getting increasingly difficult to be a fan of the NFL or football in general. At some point (perhaps in the not too distant future) there will be a tipping point and the tremendous growth in revenue that the NFL has been enjoying will reverse course.
You guys are cute. I'd wager 95% of the market could give two shits about issues like this to the point they would actually stop watching. And neither of you will either.
Looks like ESPN may have blown it.
NFL, NIH dispute ESPN report that league pulled funding for BU concussion study
per NIH: "NFL was willing to contribute to the Boston University CTE study headed by Dr. Stern. NIH made the decision to fund this study in its entirety and to issue a Request for Applications (RFA) early next year to support an additional study on CTE"
NFL, NIH dispute ESPN report that league pulled funding for BU concussion study
per NIH: "NFL was willing to contribute to the Boston University CTE study headed by Dr. Stern. NIH made the decision to fund this study in its entirety and to issue a Request for Applications (RFA) early next year to support an additional study on CTE"
Looking forward to hearing this in the morning:
Chris Nowinski @ChrisNowinski1 48m48 minutes ago
Chris Nowinski Retweeted Dennis and Callahan
Looking forward to it! I have a lot to say on this...
Dennis and Callahan @DandCShow
The cofounder of the BU CTE Center, @ChrisNowinski1, will join us in studio tomorrow at 7 on the NFL pulling funding for concussion research
Chris Nowinski @ChrisNowinski1 48m48 minutes ago
Chris Nowinski Retweeted Dennis and Callahan
Looking forward to it! I have a lot to say on this...
Dennis and Callahan @DandCShow
The cofounder of the BU CTE Center, @ChrisNowinski1, will join us in studio tomorrow at 7 on the NFL pulling funding for concussion research
Might be interesting. I'd be curious to see whether his comments will be consistent with the NIH's statement.
NFL: we don't like the way the BU CTE study is shaping up, and we would like some changes to be made or we might have to pull funding.
NIH: Fuck you Jobu, I do it myself.
Anyone else think this smells like the NIH covering the NFL's butt here so they don't lose that promised $30 MM for other studies? (I'll admit the extent of my knowledge on this thing comes entirely from this thread so maybe way off. But I'm pretty cynical of anything the NFL gets involved in at this point.)
Pretty sure the donation has already been made -- they can't just take it back.
Yes, it looks like the NFL and the NIH are on the same page, but ESPN is reporting otherwise and seemingly not backing down.
From the Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2015/12/22/nfl-refutes-espn-report-on-brain-study-funding-calls-it-not-accurate/
Please let it be an early Christmas and ESPN pulls a schefter out of its hat with a "and here is the email to back up my story".
One of the better mic drop moments from deflategate.
One of the better mic drop moments from deflategate.
That press release says no such thing.
The release is from FNIH, the "Foundation for the NIH", a nonprofit with a $76 million dollar budget.
http://2014-annual-report.fnih.org/
There has been no statement from the NIH, the government agency with the $28 billion dollar budget. The Boston.com story is wrong to say the NIH released a statement.
Also, let's read the FNIH statement carefully. Here's the relevant text:
A close reading yields:
Possible translation: "The NFL still plans to contribute a total of $30M. However, we're not ruling out the possibility of steering that money away from Stern to desirable scientists."
Emphasis mine. Note they do NOT say "The NFL was willing to fund [the entirety of]" the study.
Somewhat damning, because they have just explicitly NOT said the NFL was willing to fund the study in its entirety.
Possible translation
"After the NFL declined to fund Dr. Stern, the NIH decided to fund him, and the NFL still wants to keep their $30M donation intact, so that means the $30M will be used for other CTE studies with scientists the NFL likes better".
Hmmm. This is the title of the article on WaPo:
"NFL disputes ESPN report on brain study funding; NIH says no NFL veto"
I admit I was confused by FNIH vs NIH, maybe the media is too.