A University of Washington neurosurgeon who co-chairs the NFLs concussion committee did not interfere in the awarding of a $16 million government grant to a league critic, a university panel reported Friday.The four-person panel, which was drawn from the UW School of Medicine, was charged with investigating allegations that Dr. Richard Ellenbogen was part of an NFL campaign last year to prevent the National Institutes of Health from awarding the grant to a group led by Robert Stern, a researcher at Boston University.It is the conclusion of the review committee that Dr. Ellenbogen did not attempt in any improper way to influence the selection or award process ... or otherwise violate any applicable or generally accepted ethical standards, the nine-page report concluded.Controversy over Ellenbogens role surfaced last year after the NFL backed out of a signed commitment to fund a seven-year study on the relationship between football and long-term brain disease. The money was to come out of a $30 million unrestricted gift the NFL awarded the NIH in 2012.After Outside the Lines disclosed the NFLs reversal last December, a group of Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives opened an investigation. It concluded that Ellenbogen was one of the NFLs primary advocates in what the group described as an improper months-long effort to rescind the $16 million Stern award. Ellenbogen has vehemently denied the allegations.Soon after the Congressional report was issued, Dr. Paul Ramsey, the dean of the UW School of Medicine, appointed a panel to investigate the allegations against Ellenbogen. Ellenbogen said he did not try to pressure the NIH to overturn the grant and instead worked toward a compromise solution that would have obtained additional funding for brain research.Ellenbogen told the panel he briefly participated in a conference call in which NFL health officials raised objections about Sterns selection; they cited Sterns potential bias and a possible conflict of interest on the NIH review committee evaluating the applications.Dr. Walter Koroshetz, a senior NIH official, told the congressional investigators that Ellenbogen called him back to reiterate his opposition to the Stern grant and to say that he could not recommend the study to the NFL fund.But Ellenbogen told the UW panel that, in fact, Koroshetz called him and proposed a compromise in which an additional grant would be funded. Ellenbogen said it became evident that the second grant might go to a group that included NFL-affiliated researchers, including him.An NIH spokesman said the agency had no comment on the UW report.The UW panel said it attempted to speak with Koroshetz but was told by his assistant that he stood by the information contained in the congressional report. The panel interviewed four members of the NFLs Head, Neck and Spine Committee, including Ellenbogen; Dr. Elizabeth Nabel, the leagues chief medical officer; and it received statements from five other people, including NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.Since Ellenbogen became co-chairman of the committee, the NFL and affiliated entities have handed out at least $6.5 million for projects connected to Ellenbogen and the UW. The projects include $2.5 million for a new concussion clinic anchored at UW and $2.4 million from Seattle Seahawks owner Paul Allen for a two-year traumatic brain injury study.On Wednesday, Goodell announced that the NFL intends to spend another $100 million on new research and technology related to concussions. On Thursday, the league applauded a call by House of Representatives Republicans for an independent investigation into the NIH scandal. It remains unclear whether that investigation will occur; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General would undertake the investigation.Ive spent my entire career as a physician treating kids, athletes and soldiers and working to advance the science and research around concussions and traumatic brain injury, Ellenbogen said in a statement. Im grateful my commitment to those issues has been confirmed both by the House Energy & Commerce Committee and the University of Washington.The NFL said in a statement: We commend Dr. Paul Ramsey, CEO of UW Medicine, executive vice president for medical affairs and dean of the School of Medicine at the University of Washington, for executing a fair and balanced review of the congressional minority staff report. Cheap China Jerseys . Collaros, 25, was solid last season, posting a 5-2 record as the starter while incumbent Ricky Ray was injured. Collaros also started Torontos 23-20 regular-season finale loss to Montreal — Ray didnt dress because the Argos had already clinched first in the East Division — but was one of three quarterbacks to play that day. NFL Jerseys Cheap Authentic . -- Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis was charged Thursday with driving while intoxicated, a day after he was suspended for an NFL substance-abuse policy violation. http://www.chinanfljerseyscheaponline.com/ . Thats about all he can do right now, so hes trying not to think about when he might be able to play again for the Los Angeles Lakers. Wholesale China Jerseys . -- Bobby Ryan helped the U.Danny Willett and Tommy Fleetwood both made encouraging starts to the Maybank Championship Malaysia as Nathan Holman set the first-round pace at Royal Selangor. Leaderboard Maybank Championship Malaysia Holman, who claimed his maiden European Tour title at the Australian PGA Championship in December, claimed the outright lead after carding a flawless seven-under 64, while the English duo of Willett and Fleetwood are just one stroke off the pace.World No 13 Willett, the highest-ranked player in the field, admitted he enjoyed an outrageous last 11 holes after being one over for the first seven, making five birdies and an eagle to charge up the leaderboard. The Dubai Desert Classic champion made back-to-back birdies at eight and nine, and he then pitched in for an eagle at the 13th before rolling in a monster putt of around 50 feet for birdie at the next. Danny Willett chipped in for eagle and holed two huge putts for birdie Willett picked up another shot at the long 15th, and his lengthy putt for birdie at the last looked to be racing past the hole, only to thud into the back of the cup and drop to cap an entertaining 65.Its a strange old game, he told Sky Sports 4 afterwards. We hit it close a lot on the front nine and made nothing until eight and nine. And then we took advantage of the par fives and holed two really long ones. It kind of goes in circles. You miss a few short ones and then you dont expect to hole a long one like that at 18, especially going at that pace, but Ill take it. Willett upstaged the likes of Rory McIlroy and Henrik Stenson to win his fourth European Tour title in Dubai a fortnight ago, and he added: Were doing all the right things. The work that were doing is the same, week in week out. The warm-ups and workouts are all the same so I am trying to keep the feelings as similar as possible but its a stupid game, isnt it?You can play well and shoot millions or you can scab it a bit and shoot a good score. Fortunately a few things went our way today so hopefully we can keep riding that wave and see what comes.Young Australian Holman did well to keep a bogey off his seven-birdie card, and he believes he can soon breach the worlds top 100 if he keeps up his current foorm.dddddddddddd Nathan Holman leads outright after a faultless 64 Every part of my game was quite good and I was saying a few weeks ago that my game has been trending in that right direction so it was nice to get a really good one in, said the 24-year-old.A lot of the guys probably havent played here. Its quite a tricky golf course and quite short so you need good lines off the tee and if you can get your wedges and putter going, you can post a score. It suits my eye. I quite like the look of it and obviously thats shown through with the score I had today so Im looking forward to the next three days.My immediate ambition is top 100 in the world and then move into the top 50 in a few years. Tommy Fleetwood also kept a bogey off his card in his opening 65 Fleetwoods 65 was also bogey-free, and he and Willett share second with Angelo Que, Peter Uihlein, Jorge Campillo and Alexander Levy, who shared the lead with Holman until making his only bogey of the day at the last hole.Louis Oosthuizen opened with a solid six-birdie 67, but Martin Kaymer has work to do just to make the halfway cut after the German offset four birdies with as many bogeys in an erratic level-par 71. Martin Kaymer slipped seven shots off the pace after an erratic 71 Meanwhile, four-time European Tour winner David Horsey was forced to withdraw after just nine holes, and he later revealed that he would soon be undergoing knee surgery which will sideline him until at least mid-April.Disappointed to have to withdraw from @maybankchampio1. Shooting pains up my lower back made it impossible to continue, Horsey said on his Twitter account. Now having a knee op on my R lateral meniscus on Tue, which puts me out until Spanish Open. Hope to be back fitter and stronger by then. Also See: Malaysia leaderboard Schwartzel wins Tshwane Golf live on Sky Sports 4 European Tour Schedule ' ' '