The NFL announcedin 2012 it was providing the NIH with $ 30 million of financial backing towards medical enquiry into brain harm and concussion . However , this partnership was certainly not the well-situated of relationships , to say the very least . Their correspondence is now localize to expire in a calendar month ’s time , on August 31 , but there ’s still $ 16 million of the financial support left hang in the balance .

“ The NFL ’s agreement with [ the funding weapon system of the NIH ] ends August 31 , 2017 , and there are no current inquiry programme for the cash in hand remaining from the original $ 30 million NFL dedication , " the NIH told ESPN   in a statement . " NIH is currently funding concussion inquiry straightaway . ”

" If [ the ] NFL wish to go along to put up research at NIH , a simple contribution to the NIH Gift Fund to support inquiry on sport medicine would be favourably viewed , as long as the footing provided broad latitude in decision about specific research programs . "

Nevertheless , the NFL still say they intend to bewilder to their commitment .

“ We are currently engage in constructive discussion with the [ Foundation for the National Institutes of Health ] regarding likely Modern research projection and the remaining funds of our $ 30 million commitment , ” the NFL said in a statement obtained byThe Washington Post .

Although herald as a major footstep forward when first denote , the partnership between the NIH and the NFL has had its mediocre percentage of hassle from the get - go . A report from May 2016,issued by Democrats from the House Committee on Energy and Commerce , rule that the NFL “ improperly attempted to mold the grant selection procedure at NIH . ” In sum , the NFL was accuse of attempt to use its “ unexclusive natural endowment ” as leveraging to steer funding aside from one of its critics , a Boston University team led by   researcher Robert Stern .

Last week , on July 25 , Boston University release awidely talked about studylooking at the learning ability of deceased football musician and chronic traumatic encephalopathy ( CTE ) , a degenerative brain disease associated with repeated physical trauma to the head . Out of 202 deceased American football game histrion , 177 were diagnosed with CTE . Out of the 111 NFL thespian , 110 showed signaling of CTE .