Roger Goodell releases statement after revelation of Frank Gifford's CTE

Commissioner Roger Goodell released a statement following Thursday's revelation that Hall of Fame halfback Frank Gifford was revealed to have been suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), renewing the league's commitment to player safety.

Gifford died at age 84 on Aug. 9, and on Wednesday his family revealed that he was suffering from CTE.

Goodell released the following statement:

Frank Gifford was a beloved member of the NFL family. He exemplified everything good about our game throughout his 85 years of extraordinary accomplishments, both on and off the field.

We appreciate the Gifford family's desire to help the medical community understand more about CTE, and we are grateful for their support of the league's efforts to improve safety in our game. At the NFL, we are supporting grants to NIH and Boston University as well as other independent efforts to research the effects of repetitive head trauma.

But we are not waiting until science provides all of the answers. We are working now to improve the safety of our game. The NFL has made numerous rules changes to the game, all to enhance player health and safety at all levels of football. These include 39 rule changes and better training and practice protocols that are yielding measurable results.

This work will continue as the health and safety of our players remains our highest priority. We have more work to do - work that honors great men like Frank Gifford.