--- title: NFL Tried to Sway NIH Research on Concussion: Report description: The National Football League reportedly attempted to influence a government-funded study into effects of football on the brain canonical: https://time.com/4345027/nfl-concussions/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-05-23T16:57:04.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T17:46:01.513Z article:section: Sports og:title: NFL Tried to Influence Government Research on Concussions, Report Says og:description: An NFL spokesman declined to comment og:url: https://time.com/4345027/nfl-concussions/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5424768911baeb7a/698894678e06017020466015/gettyimages-4953525201.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: San Diego Chargers v Baltimore Ravens og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: NFL Tried to Influence Government Research on Concussions, Report Says twitter:description: An NFL spokesman declined to comment twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5424768911baeb7a/698894678e06017020466015/gettyimages-4953525201.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # NFL Tried to Influence Government Research on Concussions, Report Says > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan May 23, 2016 4:57 PM UTC  An NFL logo is seen on the field as the Baltimore Ravens play the San Diego Chargers at M&T Bank Stadium on November 1, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. Patrick Smith—Getty Images An NFL logo is seen on the field as the Baltimore Ravens play the San Diego Chargers at M&T Bank Stadium on November 1, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. Patrick Smith—Getty ImagesPatrick Smith—Getty Images by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan May 23, 2016 4:57 PM UTC Officials from the National Football League [attempted to influence a government-funded study into the effects of football](http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/%5F/id/15667689/congressional-report-finds-nfl-improperly-intervened-brain-research-cost-taxpayers-16-million) on the brain, a new congressional report finds. About a half-dozen officials are alleged to have worked to revoke part of an unrestricted gift of $30 million that was going toward a $16 million research project at the National Institutes of Health, according to the report, which was obtained by [_ESPN’s_ Outside the Lines](http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/%5F/id/15667689/congressional-report-finds-nfl-improperly-intervened-brain-research-cost-taxpayers-16-million). The reaction was triggered when the league discovered that an expert on neurodegenerative disease based at Boston University was leading the NIH research. Robert Stern, the researcher the NFL sought to remove, has been critical of the league. The congressional report found the NFL’s attempts to remove Stern fit into a “long-standing pattern of attempts” to influence research about concussions. “In this instance, our investigation has shown that while the NFL had been publicly proclaiming its role as funder and accelerator of important research, it was privately attempting to influence that research,” the report says. An NFL spokesman declined to comment to ESPN, but the league has previously denied that it sought to withhold funding over concerns with Stern. [Read more at _ESPN_](http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/%5F/id/15667689/congressional-report-finds-nfl-improperly-intervened-brain-research-cost-taxpayers-16-million) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4345027/nfl-concussions/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4345027/nfl-concussions/"},"headline":"NFL Tried to Influence Government Research on Concussions, Report Says","datePublished":"2016-05-23T16:57:04.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T17:46:01.513Z","description":"An NFL spokesman declined to comment","url":"https://time.com/4345027/nfl-concussions/","keywords":["Congress","Sports topic","Football","NFL"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5424768911baeb7a/698894678e06017020466015/gettyimages-4953525201.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"Sports","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5424768911baeb7a/698894678e06017020466015/gettyimages-4953525201.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"San Diego Chargers v Baltimore Ravens","caption":"San Diego Chargers v Baltimore Ravens","creditText":"Patrick Smith—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/sports/","name":"Sports"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4345027/nfl-concussions/","name":"NFL Tried to Influence Government Research on Concussions, Report Says"}}]}] ```