WASHINGTON -- House Republicans on Thursday called for an independent review of allegations that the National Football League sought to improperly influence a government study into the link between football and brain disease.In a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services inspector general, GOP leaders of the Energy and Commerce Committee said that a thorough assessment is needed to ensure the integrity of the process for awarding research grants.The committees top Democrat said in May the NFL tried to strong-arm the National Institutes of Health into taking the project away from a prominent researcher that the league believed was biased.But the committees chairman, Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan, and other GOP members of panel said they dont have all the facts needed to reach conclusions. All the attention generated by claims the NFL tried to sway the study have tarnished the reputations of leading researchers into traumatic brain injuries and other medical experts, they said in the 21-page letter to the departments inspector general, Daniel Levinson.The lawmakers also said that based on the information they have, the institutes may have contributed to the breakdown of the structures and processes that exist to preserve the integrity of NIH research.The NFL said in a statement that it looks forward to cooperating with the inspector general. The NFL has never wavered in its commitment to advance the science and understanding of concussions and traumatic brain injuries, the league said.Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., initiated an investigation after ESPN reported in December that the league had agreed to donate $30 million to the NIH to fund brain research. But the league backed out after the institutes went ahead with a $16 million grant to Boston University researcher Robert Stern, according to the sports networks report.Stern is a leading expert on the link between football and brain diseases such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy. He also filed a declaration opposing a settlement between the NFL and former players, fearing that deserving players would not be compensated.The NFLs critics say the league has downplayed the link between football and brain damage, alleging that an NFL committee on brain injury had ignored or minimized the link between repetitive head trauma and brain damage.Pallone said his probe confirmed the NFL inappropriately attempted to use its unrestricted gift as leverage to steer funding away from one of its critics, Pallone said.The NFL denied Pallones findings. The league at the time acknowledged it had raised concerns about the study and a potential conflict of interest involving Stern, but said it had communicated those concerns through appropriate channels.The league said in the statement Thursday that its $30 million commitment was never in doubt and said its unfortunate that the allegations have distracted attention from the broader goal of further traumatic brain injury science.Upton and other Republicans said if the NFL acted inappropriately, then NIH not only failed to identify and address this behavior, but rather encouraged ongoing discussion, thus creating a perception that the league had input on the use of (research) funds.There is little evidence to suggest, Upton and his colleagues wrote, that anyone affiliated with the NFL advocated on behalf of a specific research team or grant proposal.---Follow Richard Lardner on Twitter: http://twitter.com/rplardner Custom Cardinals T-shirts . 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Cheap Custom Cardinals Jersey . -- Derrick Rose shook off poor shooting early to hit clutch shots late and Carlos Boozer had 20 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 104-95 preseason victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. ST. LOUIS -- A 15-2 rout at the hands of the Cincinnati Reds on Monday represented more than a loss for the St. Louis Cardinals.It took away the Cardinals ability to win their way to the playoffs without requiring help from others, putting them into a more precarious spot for the regular seasons final six days.St. Louis (81-75) enters the Tuesday night matchup with Cincinnati a game behind the San Francisco Giants (82-74) for the National Leagues second wild-card spot. The Cardinals are 1 1/2 games behind the New York Mets (83-74) for the top wild-card position, thanks to New Yorks 7-3 loss at Miami on Monday.You never want to be embarrassed, and thats an embarrassing loss, Cardinals managed Mike Matheny said of the 13-run defeat in the series opener.About the only positive spin Matheny could generate from the teams worst loss of 2016 was that he got to rest some players. Catcher Yadier Molina played only four innings, while outfielders Randal Grichuk and Stephen Piscotty were excused after five.Just three of the nine guys who started the game -- second baseman Greg Garcia, left fielder Brandon Moss and shortstop Jedd Gyorko -- played the full nine innings.The key is to let it go and get back in there and show a different product tomorrow, Matheny said. This teams done a very good job of that. It was just one of those days, but they all hurt to lose.St. Louis will turn to Adam Wainwright (12-9, 4.57 ERA) in an attempt to right the ship. The veteran right-hander is coming off a 10-5 win on Sept. 20 in Colorado, where he allowed four runs over 5 1/3 innings. He also did mmajor damage with his bat, driving in four runs to give him 18 RBI in 58 at-bats.ddddddddddddainwright hasnt enjoyed much success against the Reds this year, though, going 0-1 with a 6.06 ERA in three starts. In his career against Cincinnati, Wainwright is just 8-10 with a 4.41 ERA.He will be opposed by rookie right-hander Robert Stephenson (2-2, 5.59 ERA), who was tagged for eight hits and four runs over 3 2/3 innings Wednesday night in a 9-2 loss at the Chicago Cubs. Stephenson will face the Cardinals for the first time.Cincinnati (66-90) enjoyed perhaps its best game of the year Monday night, banging out 22 hits in a game for the first time since 2003 and notching a season high in runs. Along the way, a gaggle of Reds achieved significant milestones.Left fielder Adam Duvall tallied single-game career highs with four hits, four runs and five RBI. He reached 100 RBI for the first time in his career with a three-run homer in the fifth -- his second of the game.That Duvall has 33 homers and 100 RBI is significant. Not only was he playing his first full major league season after coming to Cincinnati last July from San Francisco, but he was expected to be a platoon outfielder.Phenomenal, Reds manager Bryan Price said of Duvalls season. Its a huge accomplishment to hit 30 homers and drive in 100 runs, and make the All-Star team. Its hard to be really good for 162 games, but even when his offense has suffered, hes never let it affect his defense. ' ' '