The National Football League (NFL) will contribute $30 million in medical research funding to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH).
The unrestricted gift, which is the NFL's single largest donation to any organization in its 92-year history, will be overseen by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The NFL will be the founding donor to a new sports and health research program, which will be conducted in collaboration with institutes and centers at the NIH.
The FNIH said that specific plans for the research are still being developed, but potential areas could include chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), concussion management and treatment, and understanding the potential relationship between traumatic brain injury and late-life neurodegenerative disorders, especially Alzheimer's disease.
Besides brain research, funding will also be dedicated to other health areas, including sudden cardiac death in young athletes; heat and hydration-related illness; chronic degenerative joint disease as a result of athletic injuries; the transition from acute to chronic pain; and the detection and health effects of performance-enhancing substances, including human growth hormone.
The FNIH also hopes to welcome other donors, including additional sports organizations, to the collaboration.
Federal law and policy applicable to NIH-funded research will govern dissemination of funds from this grant. The NFL will have no early or special access to scientific study data, according to the FNIH.
