Controversial NFL med adviser Pellman retiring

1:23 PM ET

The NFL will replace longtime and controversial medical adviser Elliot Pellman with a new full-time chief medical officer, commissioner Roger Goodell wrote Wednesday in a letter to club executives.

Pellman will retire, Goodell wrote. Goodell made the decision that prompted Pellman’s retirement, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. 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 is retiring after a 30-year career as a rheumatologist, New York Jets team doctor and a rocky tenure as chairman of the league’s powerful research arm.

Pellman has been a central figure in the NFL’s attempts to deal with rising concerns about concussions. He led the Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Committee, and his name appeared 26 times in a subsequent lawsuit that …

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