Denies pressure from NFL.
LOS ANGELES — ESPN says it's ending its collaboration with public TV in an investigation of the NFL and players' head injuries.
ESPN said Aug. 23 its decision was based on a lack of editorial control over "League of Denial: The NFL's Concussion Crisis," airing in October on PBS' "Frontline" public affairs series.
At ESPN's request, its logo was being removed from websites related to the project and from the film itself.
In an online statement, the producers of "Frontline" said they regretted ESPN's exit. The producers said the two-part "League of Denial" will air as scheduled on Oct. 8 and 15.
Meanwhile, both ESPN and the NFL on Aug. 23 denied a New York Times report that quotes unidentified sources saying the NFL had pressured ESPN to drop out of the project.
(Some 4,000 former players are currently involved in a suit against the NFL, claiming it withheld information on brain injuries.)