Dems inquire about NFL 'veto power' in NIH funding

In the wake of an ESPN report that the NFL maintained veto power over millions in funding and “balked” at a brain injury study awarded to a neurologist critical of the league, several House Democrats have have requested that communications between the National Institute of Health and the league be turned over to Congress.

"We’re just trying to get to the bottom of it, because we do think that this research is very important," said Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ).

The goal of the letter of request, which was also signed by Gene Green (D-TX), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), and Diana DeGette (D-CO), is to determine whether the NFL has some sort of "veto power" over the use of the $30 million it gave to the NIH to study brain injuries in 2012. Although the donation was described as "unrestricted," the NFL allegedly had some sort of "veto power" as to how the money was used on research and whom it was used by in the research.

ESPN had even reported that the NFL backed out of the donation, but according to league spokesperson Brian McCarthy:

"The NFL did not pull funding from the [ . . .] study," McCarthy said Thursday. "The NIH makes all funding decisions. The NFL has no ‘veto power’ as part of its unrestricted $30 million grant to NIH."

With the public becoming increasingly aware of the potential head injuries, and with the success of the film "Concussion," never before has the spotlight shined so brightly on the long-term health of NFL players.