In an attempt to help the medical community better understand the impact of concussions and CTE-related trauma, the NFL announced on Thursday that it has provided $35 million in grants to fund medical research into brain health and injuries.
“What we wanted to promote was translational research, research that was going to help patients understand the disease today,” advisory board chair Peter Chiarelli said in a statement, via The Washington Post. “We feel very strongly that the research we recommended to the NFL is going to do just that.”
The NFL itself has received negative pushback from both the science community and the public for its previous handling of the concussion issue.
While the $35 million in grants represent a small amount of the league’s annual revenue, it is part of a larger $100 million program to help the sciences research brain health and injuries.
“The advisory board reviewed 129 proposals, whittled that to eight finalists and recommended five of those eight to the NFL for funding,” the report read.
As we start to understand better the long-term issues with brain-related injuries, the NFL must continue working with experts to change what had been considered a culture of ignorance around the league. While not the end all, these latest grants will certainly help.