sxx123: of competing in Iroman events -- 3.8-kilometre swim, 180-kilometre bike and marathon -- has its appeal. So, too, does playing recreati

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Three months after House Democrats issued a report concluding that the NFL improperly sought to influence a major government study on football and brain disease, their Republican counterparts called for an independent review into the controversy. Bears Stitched Jerseys .In a 21-page letter to the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services, Republican leaders from the Energy and Commerce Committee requested the review to determine whether proper procedures were followed by officials with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and its fundraising arm.The letter suggests that NIH officials engaged representatives from the NFL throughout the process and tried to resolve the conflict by offering a compromise solution -- reinforcing the perception that there was nothing improper about the NFLs actions.The questions and concerns raised by these events are vital to the integrity of research and the grant award decision-making process, concluded the letter, written by Reps. Fred Upton of Michigan, Tim Murphy and Joseph Pitts of Pennsylvania, and Michael Burgess of Texas.In May, Democratic leaders from the committee issued a 91-page report that described a behind-the-scenes campaign by top NFL health officials to strip a $16 million grant from a prominent Boston University researcher who has been critical of the league. The Republican letter provided little new information about the NFLs campaign, but it suggested that the league may have been convinced that its input was welcomed by senior NIH officials who agreed to discuss the matter, in possible violation of NIH regulations.The Democratic report stemmed from interviews with officials at the NIH and the Foundation for the NIH (FNIH) as well as the NFLs top health and safety official. It also cited emails between the parties. The report singled out Dr. Richard Ellenbogen, the co-chair of the NFLs Head, Neck and Spine Committee. Ellenbogen was a co-investigator on a competing grant proposal, which the report said NFL officials tried to convince the NIH to fund. Ellenbogen was a primary example of the conflicts of interest between his role as a researcher and his role as an NFL adviser, according to the report.Ellenbogen, however, was not interviewed by the Democrats, and he denied to the Republicans that he ever had sought to influence the NIH process, as he had previously to Outside the Lines and other media outlets.Ellenbogen, the chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Washington, is the subject of an internal investigation at UW over the findings by the Democrats.The Republican letter said the review was necessary because this controversy has tarnished the reputations of some leading brain trauma experts.We stand by our findings that the NFL improperly attempted to influence NIH on its brain injury research, and that FNIH did not adequately fulfill its role of serving as an intermediary between NIH and the NFL, an Energy and Commerce Democratic Committee spokesperson wrote to Outside the Lines.The controversy stems from a $30 million donation the NFL made to the NIH in 2012. At the time, the league described the grant as unrestricted, and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell insisted that the league would let NIH make the decisions on how best to spend the money. The first $12 million of that funding was allocated in 2013 to two groups to study the defining characteristics of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the brain disease that has been found in dozens of deceased NFL players and that experts have linked to repetitive head trauma. However, Outside the Lines reported in December that the NFL had backed out of using most of the remaining funds on a $16 million study that had been awarded to Robert Stern, a prominent Boston University researcher.Soon after, the Democratic committee launched its investigation.The league has said that its officials expressed concerns about Stern but that they did so appropriately. And the Republicans letter suggests that if the NFLs actions were inappropriate, the NIH should have addressed that with the league rather than encouraging ongoing discussion.The NFL issued a statement Thursday afternoon repeating prior comments that it had never wavered in its commitment to advance the science and understanding of concussions and that it looked forward to cooperating in a review.Ellenbogen and three other members of the NFLs Head, Neck and Spine Committee issued their own statement, saying they welcome a fair and balanced review and look forward to engaging fully in the process, a courtesy we were not provided by the committees minority staff.The Republican letter comes one day after the NFL announced a $100 million initiative designed to focus on concussion research and technologies to lessen head trauma. Joel Iyiegbuniwe Jersey . A lawyer for MLB, Matthew Menchel, confirmed Wednesday the league dropped its case against Biogenesis of America, its owner Anthony Bosch and several other individuals. The lawsuit had accused Biogenesis and Bosch of conspiring with players to violate their contracts by providing them with banned performance-enhancing substances. Javon Wims Jersey . The head of USA Boxing came out swinging Tuesday with an open letter to Tyson -- a former Olympic hopeful himself -- that accuses the former heavyweight champion of trying to poach fighters who might be candidates for the U. www.authenticbearsshopnfl.com/ . Defencemen Drew oughty, Shea Weber and forward Ryan Getzlaf also scored for the Canadians, who started their gold-medal defence 2-0. Goalie Roberto Luongo, getting the call in place of Game 1 starter Carey Price, was solid when needed in making 23 saves for the shutout.TORONTO -- Olympic triathlon champion Simon Whitfield isnt ready to officially retire just yet. The 38-year-old native of Kingston, Ont., said Tuesday that he considers himself "semi-retired," and theres just a "10 per cent" chance hell return to full-time racing. "Im leaving the door open simply because I dont want to pull a Brett Favre and say Im done and then come back," Whitfield said at a Toronto Triathlon Festival news conference. "Maybe I just havent come to terms with saying Fully retired, so Im putting semi in front of it to give myself an out." Whitfield said although hes currently training at less than 50 per cent, he could still decide to race if he so desired. But where it would normally take him 12 weeks to prepare for a competition, Whitfield said hed likely need between 16 and 20 weeks to ensure hes able to cover a triathlons 1.5-kilometre swim, 40-kilometre bike ride and 10-kilometre run at a high level. Trouble is, that would also mean being away for his wife, Jennie, and their two daughters, Pippa and Evelyn. "My family is my priority now and spending more time with them," Whitfield said. "I know what it takes to be at that top level and I really didnt like when people downplayed how much it took so now for me to do both is very difficult. "If I can find a place where I can balance it then Ill do that. Right now I cant so Im not going to." And time is no ally. The longer Whitfield doesnt compete, the harder it will be to close the gap between himself and the younger members of the national squad, headed up by Kyle Jones, 28, of Oakville, Ont. "I know Kyle has taken his racing to a level now that would be very hard to get back to," Whitfield said. "I think the rest of that team is stepping up so I think theyll close that door pretty quickly if I didnt get back into it very soon." Whitfield plans to compete in the Toronto Triathlon Festival on July 21. He took part in the inaugural event last year, which was his final tuneup for the 2012 London Summer Games. "As of right now I have no races on the calendar other than trying to beat my record from last year," he said. "I will be competing to be in it and not be embarrassed by some young guy." Whitfield opened his fourth career Olympic competition as Canadas flag-bearer iin London. Bears Youth Jerseys. But he suffered a broken collarbone in a bike crash during the triathlon. It was a tough way to go out for the 2000 Olympic gold medallist, who also won silver at the 2008 Games in Beijing. But if Whitfields full-time racing career is over, hes more than at peace with it. "Thats the beauty of it ... I could never have asked for more," he said. "I went to four Olympic Games, I got to carry the flag and, oh, I won two medals. "Its beyond anything I ever imagined. I mean, I ran around in a Speedo, its kind of ridiculous when you think about it. But I got to do that for a living, see the world and do something I loved doing. If thats it, thats it." Alan Trivett, Triathlon Canadas executive director, said Whitfield will forever be an ambassador for the sport in this country. "I dont necessarily look for Simon to come back and be on our national team and our Olympic team as necessarily the ultimate goal," he said. "There are other disciplines and other distances that Simon could race on. "But Simon is bigger than the sport here in Canada and the more exposure he has, the more exposure the sport has so for me its not necessarily about him coming back. Simon Whitfield is the greatest ambassador we could ever have." However, Trivett admits the sport will have a huge hole to fill when Whitfield retires as an active triathlete. "Obviously, there will be a void because so many kids coming through look at it as, If Simon can do it, maybe I can do it too," he said. "The longer that goes, the next generation will know less and less about what Simon has done and its important we capitalize on that legacy over the next few years." When Whitfield does step away from racing triathlons, dont expect him to become inactive. The idea of competing in Iroman events -- 3.8-kilometre swim, 180-kilometre bike and marathon -- has its appeal. So, too, does playing recreational soccer, which Whitfield does back in Victoria in a league that also features the father of NBA star Steve Nash. "It (retirement from triathlons) will probably happen on the soccer field when I will blow an Achilles or something," Whitfield said with a chuckle. "But I still want to be able to run around at 68 like Steve Nashs dad and be able to dominate the young guys." Cheap NFL T-shirts Wholesale Jerseys NFL Jerseys China Jerseys NFL Cheap Cheap NFL Black Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Youth NFL Jerseys China ' ' '