{"id":850,"date":"2018-11-15T14:17:00","date_gmt":"2018-11-15T14:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/davidchangspine.com\/?p=850"},"modified":"2023-09-19T15:09:26","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T15:09:26","slug":"nfl-awards-35-million-in-brain-injury-research-grants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/davidchangspine.com\/nfl-awards-35-million-in-brain-injury-research-grants\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL Awards $35 Million In Brain Injury Research Grants"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
The National Football League announced today that is has awarded more than $35 million in grants to fund medical research aimed at understanding and preventing brain injuries associated with the sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today\u2019s grants are part of the $100 million initiative the league announced in 2016 called the \u201cPlay Safe. Play Smart,\u201d campaign. During the 2016 announcement, the league stated they would commit $60 million to technological research, which would include attempts to make helmets and other protective gear safer, and $40 million to fund medical research to forward our understanding the effects of head injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The grants were handed out by an advisory committee who reviewed 129 proposals for funding. Ultimately, eight finalists emerged and the board agreed to provide funding for five select proposals. Peter Chiarelli, chair of the board and a retired U.S. Army general who is the former CEO of One Mind, a nonprofit organization focused on the diagnosis and treatment of traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress, said the chosen proposals will provide benefits for the general population, not just football players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is a public health problem that\u2019s significant, that doesn\u2019t just affect football players and soldiers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s a look at where the funding will be going, and what researchers hope to use that funding for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The remaining $5 million in funding will be allocated to research on player health and safety under the guidance of the advisory board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI believe what you\u2019re going to see is this was the best $35 million ever spent in this particular field,\u201d Chiarelli said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019re starting to see the effects of previous research and safety measures come to fruition. Statistics show that concussions during the preseason were down 13 percent in 2018 compared to 2017. This drop has been linked to better performing helmets and rule changes that emphasize player safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n