As a U.S. House committee reviews the severity of head injuries among football players in the National Football League, it asked league Commissioner Roger Goodell to help supply additional medical information with the committee, the Washington Post reported today.

The panel is looking into the rate and severity of brain injuries sustained by football players in the league after an NFL-commissioned study by the University of Michigan Institute of Social Research found an increased risk of early-onset dementia and other brain disorders.

The Washington Post reported today that NFL leaders said they'd cooperate with the panel's plan, saying more research is needed to determine whether there is a direct link between head injuries sustained while playing the sport and later problems with brain disease.

It's sparked news editorial and blogs across the country, including the Washington Post, the Boston Globe and The New York Yorker.

The study's methodology has been criticized for being "highly flawed," and the lead author of the study, U-M's David Weir, joined others in cautioning the study was not conclusive about the long-term impact of head injuries to football players, but needed further research.

Tina Reed covers health and the environment for AnnArbor.com. You can reach her at tinareed@annarbor.com, call her at 734-623-2535 or find her on Twitter @TreedinAA.