The NFL is removing controversial medical adviser Elliott Pellman, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, who reports that while Pellman is retiring, he was essentially forced out by commissioner Roger Goodell.
According to Schefter, Goodell informed all 32 teams in a letter Monday about Pellman's decision to retire.
Goodell understands that the NFL must demonstrate strong leadership on health and safety and that its players and fans need to trust in the league, the sources said.
Pellman worked in the NFL for 30 years, serving both as the Jets team doctor and the head of NFL's Mild Traumatic Brain Injury committee (yes, mild and traumatic are highly juxtaposed).
The doctor came under heavy scrutiny following the release of the film League of Denial back in 2013 (emphasis ours):
Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue didn't come off well in the film, as the former lawyer orchestrated the league's initial response. The documentary described how aggressive Tagliabue and the league were in defending itself. In fact, he blamed the concussion issue on pack journalism. And then he went out and hired a doctor in Elliot Pellman to head up the Mild Traumatic Brain Injury committee who didn't believe concussions were a problem for the NFL and who had no background in brain research.
As you may recall, ESPN backed out of helping to produce and create League of Denial after allegedly being pressured by the NFL to cease assistance. (The NFL vehemently denied doing so.)
The league will now search for a new full-time chief medical officer to fill the role. From the ESPN report, it sounds like the search for the new doc has the right ideas in mind:
On Wednesday, Goodell wrote that the new chief medical officer's role will be to coordinate health-related efforts with team medical staffs, the NFLPA and medical committees. The new hire will ensure that teams have access to updated information and that NFL research funds are spent "in an effective and targeted way," according to Goodell.
It probably won't get enough attention when the hire is made, but there's a real opportunity for Roger Goodell and the league office to make a serious statement with a high-quality hire.
Medical professionals take the issues with concussions quite seriously. Hiring someone who will be a diligent adviser to the league would go a long way towards promoting player safety and proving the league is serious about protecting the people who play the game.
