Controversial NFL doctor Elliott Pellman retires at urging of Commissioner Roger Goodell
Commissioner Roger Goodell at the NFL owners meetings in Charlotte N.C., on May 24.
Longtime NFL doctor Elliott Pellman is retiring, and the league will look for a chief medical officer to work on health and safety issues on a full-time basis, Commissioner Roger Goodell informed all 32 clubs on Wednesday.
The controversial Pellman, who for years downplayed the link between football and brain injuries, was asked by Goodell to retire, according to an individual with knowledge of the situation.
In a memo to the owners obtained by the Los Angeles Times, Goodell said the new executive “will be responsible for working with our team medical staffs, the NFLPA [players union] and our medical committees … [and] will add to our expertise to help ensure that clubs have access to the most up-to-date information” regarding injuries and injury prevention.
Goodell wrote that the search would begin this week and be headed by Dr. Betsy Nabel, chief health and medical advisor to the NFL and president of Brigham And Women’s Healthcare.
“There is no higher priority than the health and safety of our players,” Goodell wrote.
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