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NFL Will Launch A New $100M Initiative Surrounding Concussions, Player Safety
The NFL is launching a new set of concussion-related initiatives under which the league will devote $60M to "technological development, aimed in part at improving helmets for players," according to Mark Maske of the WASHINGTON POST. The league also will put $40M toward "funding medical research into the effects of head injuries." NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the $100M "Play Smart. Play Safe" initiative "builds on what we’ve done the last few years but it takes it to another level in a variety of areas." He said the effort is "all about protecting our players." Goodell: "We’ve seen some very positive things. But we’re not satisfied. We’re not comfortable." In an <a href="https://www.playsmartplaysafe.com/commitment-letter/" target="_blank">open letter explaining the initiative</a> , Goodell said that the NFL "intends to do a better communications job going forward with its concussion-related efforts." He also acknowledged that the public might be "skeptical about the NFL’s efforts related to head injuries" ( <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2016/09/14/nfl-to-launch-new-100-million-concussion-initiatives-to-improve-player-safety/" target="_blank">WASHINGTON POST, 9/14</a> ). Goodell said the new initiative "will change the game immediately.” Goodell: “We have invested significantly in the past to further research, but we’ve also not waited on research. We’ve made rule changes. We’ve made changes in our equipment. We’ve done things to improve the way the game is played. We’ve changed our protocol to make sure that we are monitoring the play more closely, and we can get care to our players at the earliest possible opportunity. So we're going to invest in science, some of that will take a few years to develop. But we think we’re changing the game today” ( "Today," NBC, 9/14 ).
