NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell released a letter on NFL.com pledging a $100 million donation to player safety.
The new safety initiative will be called “Play Smart, Play Safe” with a strict focus on “progress in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of head injuries, enhance medical protocols and further improve the way the game is taught and played by all who love it.”
Goodell and the NFL have been scrutinized by their efforts in concussion protocol and addressed it in the letter stating “We know there is skepticism about our work in this area. That’s why both the process and the results of our work will be shared with the medical community and the public at large.”
The initiative will follow behind four areas of focus: protecting players, advanced technology, medical research and sharing progress.
In the letter it’s stated the $60 million will be allocated toward advanced technology to player safety, which could mean new helmets for players. $40 million will be focused on medical research.
The findings in the “Play Smart, Play Safe” program will be passed on to families to protect their children who play or look to pursue an NFL career.
Goodell stated that “Our goal will be to equip parents with the best available information to make decisions about their children’s participation in football and other contact sports.”
The NFL commissioner answered the question if it’s worth playing the game of football regardless of the medical scares; he answered yes.
“The values I gained from that experience — grit, commitment to team, hard work and how to conduct oneself in both victory and defeat — are values I’ve applied throughout my adult life.”
The full letter can be read here!
