NFL concussion study chairmen resign

NEW YORK, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- The chairmen of the NFL medical committee studying concussions and their effects on players have quit, league officials in New York said Tuesday.

Drs. Ira Casson and David Viano resigned as co-chairmen, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a memo to teams. He did not elaborate on their reasons for quitting.

Goodell said the league "is currently identifying their replacements and additional members who will bring to the committee independent sources of expertise and experience in the field of head injuries."

The resignations are part of "a series of initiatives that will enhance the substantial progress we have made in recent years in concussion-related matters," Goodell said in the memo.

"Our goal remains to make our game as safe as possible, protect the health and safety of our players, and set the best possible example for players at all levels and in all sports," he said.

The new initiatives include a requirement that each club name local neurosurgeons or neurologists for independent second opinions in cases involving player concussions, Goodell said.

The NFL has come under pressure from Congress for not cracking down on blows to the head, a type of injury that is mounting, The New York Times reported.