The National Football League will name Elizabeth G. Nabel, president of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, as its chief medical officer, two people with direct knowledge of the hire said.
The people requested anonymity because the league, which is staging its championship game today in Phoenix, hasn't announced the move.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy and hospital spokeswoman Michelle Cerulli declined to comment.
Commissioner Roger Goodell during his Jan. 30 state of the league address said the most-watched U.S. sports league would create the chief medical officer position as part of the NFL's commitment to making the game safer.
Goodell said since 2012 concussions in regular-season games have dropped to 111 from 173.
Awareness of the dangers of concussions has grown in the past decade as doctors tied neurological damage, dementia and early death in athletes to repetitive head injuries. In July, a U.S. district judge gave preliminary approval to a head injury settlement in which the NFL would pay at least $675 million to retired players who suffer from a list of qualified injuries including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.
"There's more to do on player health and safety," Goodell said. "Carefully reviewing and approving our concussion protocols will be a focus of our medical committees this offseason."
"This individual, who we expect to have in place very soon, will oversee our medical-related policies, ensure that we update them regularly, and work closely with our medical committees, our advisers, and the Players' Association," Goodell said.
Hospital Meeting
Nabel, according to the hospital website, has served as president of Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital since 2010. A cardiologist and distinguished biomedical researcher, Nabel is Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Nabel is scheduled to meet with Brigham and Women's Hospital officials tomorrow, according to one of the people.
© Copyright 2026 Bloomberg News. All rights reserved.