February 1, 2013 The Honorable Patrick Leahy Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee United States Senate 437 Russell

Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Robert Goodlatte Chairman, House Judiciary Committee United States House of Representatives 2309 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 The Honorable Darrell Issa Chairman, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform United States House of Representatives 2347 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 The Honorable Chuck Grassley Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee United States Senate 135 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable John Conyers, Jr. Ranking Member, House Judiciary Committee United States House of Representatives 2426 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 The Honorable Elijah Cummings Ranking Member, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform United States House of Representatives 2235 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515

Re:

The National Football Leagues Response to Former Players Suffering From the Long-Term Consequences of Traumatic Brain Injury

Dear Senators and Representatives: As the widows of former National Football League players who suffered severe neurological harm because of the Leagues misconduct, we urge Congress to investigate the NFLs treatment and care of its former players. The NFL had a responsibility to protect its players and to warn them of long-term dangers to their mental and neurological well-being. The NFL was worse than negligent in this duty; it actively hid the facts about repetitive head trauma from thousands of players. Even today, the NFL fails to acknowledge the medical evidence linking brain trauma to long-term, irreversible brain disease. We are but two of the many family members whose lives have been permanently altered by the NFLs negligence and deliberate deception. We watched as our husbands struggled with depression, reduced cognitive ability, memory loss, mood swings, and insomnia. We all learned too late that the NFL had concealed the risks of repetitive head trauma and, over the years, we and our families have paid the price. It is long past time that the NFL took serious measures to provide medical care and support to former players and their families. In October 2009, the House Judiciary Committee held hearings about the Leagues failure to accept the medical evidence linking repeated head impacts with brain disease, and its unwillingness to care for and protect current and former players. At another hearing in 2010, Dr. Casson of the NFLs Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Committee stated before Congress that [there] is not enough valid, reliable or objective scientific evidence at present to determine whether or not repeat head impacts in professional football result in long term brain damage. Members of Congress at both hearings criticized the NFL and Commissioner Goodell for publishing deceptive brain research and failing in their responsibility to current and former players. The NFL promised to do more.

Unfortunately, the NFLs actions in the three years since these hearings amount to little more than public relations gestures. Furthermore, the League continues to ignore the thousands of former players who were never told about the dangers of concussions yet now face serious neurological problems. We urge the Committee to ask Commissioner Goodell to update Congress on the NFLs actions to address the epidemic of brain trauma and harm to players and their families. We respectfully suggest you ask questions such as: 1. Does the NFL now accept the scientific evidence that repeated head trauma from playing in the NFL can lead to brain and other neurological diseases? 2. Does the NFL now disavow the research produced by its Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI) Committee, which has been widely criticized and rejected by the scientific community? 3. Decades of research have shown repeated head trauma can lead to brain and neurological diseases, yet the NFL downplayed or hid this information from its players. Does the NFL acknowledge that its actions in this regard contributed to the conditions former players now suffer from? 4. The NFL has recently touted its new protocols for treating concussions. Why have these protocols only been instituted recently, when medical research has been available for decades showing the dangers of untreated head injuries? What led to the delay? 5. Does the NFL acknowledge that the dementia experienced by many former players is due to injury incurred playing football? 6. The NFL has long glorified and profited from big hits and violent collisions. Will these still be used as a major part of the NFLs marketing materials? 7. On the NFLs new Life Line website, it lists symptoms such as anger or mood swings, violent outbursts, gambling, and memory problems as potentially being caused by physical problems. Does the League now acknowledge that the troubles faced by many players after their NFL careers are directly attributable to brain damage they suffered from head trauma? 8. Also on the Life Line website, it lists six medical facilities where former players can receive diagnostic and preventative assessments from a team of neurological specialists. These are described as part of a network of resources designed to assist retired players in finding success in life after football, from free preventive screenings and access to top neurological care... Yet when one reads further, one learns that the former player is responsible for the costs of assessments, care, and travel. Listing names of facilities, is very different than providing true access to care. Why does the NFL not provide actual care to former players who are in a health crisis as a consequence of brain trauma? The NFL has shown little interest in providing the security and care that former players desperately need. While the NFL can ignore our pleas, they must listen to yours. Every year, more players face potentially devastating head injuries. The NFL has the power not only to give former players the care they deserve, but also to ensure that the game is safer for future generations. We sincerely hope you will continue to provide diligent attention to this important issue. Sincerely,

Dr. Eleanor M. Perfetto, Ph.D., M.S

Mary Ann Easterling

cc: The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary cc: The United States House Committee on the Judiciary cc: The United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform