the nfl knew it, but the players certainly didn't know it. >> narrator: on the other side, the nfl's enting the national football league will be paul clement, who will be flanked by anastasia danias, she's from the national football league, and also beth wilkinson from paul weiss... >> narrator: they insisted the league had done nothing wrong. >> let's be clear, let's be clear. we strongly deny those allegations that we withheld any information or misled the players. and if we have to defend this suit, as paul was alluding to, we will do that and be able to make those factual allegations. but we absolutely deny those allegations. >> narrator: but away from the cameras, the two sides were engaged in tense court-ordered negotiations. >> the players, initially, they were requesting around $2 billion or a little more than $2 billion, and what we've been told is the nfl was offering virtually nothing-- they were offering "peanuts," as one person said. >> narrator: the players believed they had significant leverage-- a threat to the nfl. >> the threat was that the doctors and trainers, neur

the nfl. >> injuries in the national football league... >> ...in the end of the nfl here... >> growing concern over concussions. >> the danger of concussions... >> players leaving the league. >> ...retire from the nfl due to concussion concerns. >> kids starting to stay off the field. >> one of the things parents worry about... >> kids and concussions. >> and now, even a hollywood movie. >> i've found a disease that no one has ever seen... >> frontline's original story of the doctor who began it all. >> you can't go against the nfl. they'll squash you. >> now, part 1 of the award- winning investigation "league of denial." >> frontlinis made possible by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. and by the corporation for public broadcasting. major support for frontliis provided by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more information is available at macfound.org. additional support is provided

in a statement released today about the movie the nfl said in part, the nfl has made numerous changes to the game to enhance player health and safety at all levels of football. we are seeing measurable results including a 34% decrease in concussions in nfl games since the 2012 season." "nightline" first reported on cte in the early days of dr. amalu's findings. >> i slept in the car probably a year and a half out of the last five years. >> reporter: the pittsburgh steelers mike webster won four super bowls. famous, wealthy, revered. he died homeless, broke, and alone. >> mike webster died today. a heart attack took his life at the age of 50. behavioral changes were caused by trauma to the brain, the nigeriaen born coroner performed webster's extensive autopsy. >> the heart attack cannot explain his life after football. i had to provide an explanation for that. i was extremely disappointed when i opened up his skull and his brain looked normal. >> reporter: determined to find answers, he analyzed webster's brain and uncovered a new medical condition. >> we're looking at a region of the

. >> reporter: for five seasons he performed on one of the biggest stages in amamerica, the nfl, 150 million fans according to the league. utek played in cincinnati, won a super bowl with the indianapolis colts. a bruising tight end, he dished out punishment and took it. at 28 it was over. a portion of his legacy not what he dreamed. >> at 28, to start experiencing memory problems. and cognitive changes. was quite alarming. >> reporter: a story that rings painfully true for more and more nfl retirees every season. legends of the game. chicago bear great jim mcmahon. i'll erase the message thinking, i'll call them right back. then i forget who just cald me. >> reporter: hall of famer frank gifford passed away from natural caususes a at the age of 84. his family had his brain studied and released this statement. "our suspicions that he was suffing from the debilitating effects of head trauma were confirmed when a team of pathologists recently diagnosed his condition as that of chronic traumatic encephalopathy. it's become a who's who of former nfl stashes. enough to line a wing of the h

the nfl accused of pulling grant money that was meant to explore brain trauma. hn henry smith reports, concussions is all about the league and the research into that condition. >> i found a disease that no one has ever seen. >> reporter: in the new sony pictures film concussion, will smith stars as a real life forensic pathologist, the man who coined the phrase identifying the brain disease, after performing the autopsy on nfl hall of fame center. his pioneering research lead to the discovery of the disease born from repeated blunt force trauma in the brains of nfl groups like these three. all players who took their own lives. the film chronicles how the nigerian born doctor went from knowing nothing about football to becoming the pre-eminent scholar on football-related brain injuries. the film also portrays the national football league as determined to cover up the doctor's findings. three days before the movie hits theaters, multiple reports have the league reneging on a $30 million grant promise to a leading brain injury research group. the reason? the boston

that's right, the nfl. side the lines reportreport ed yesterday that the nfl vetoed for the study.eviously set aside i want to talk to christine brennan. christine, we should say this cte study is going to get funded any way. the national institutes of health is going to pay for it, but why would the nfl back out? >> it's mind boggling. embrace it, right? you're the nfl. as the movie says, jake, you own a day of the week. you can handle the pressure. you can handle the criticism. they're angry because one of their chief critics at boston university, dr. robert stern, who has been controversial with some comments against the nfl, the concussion settlement, what have you, they're angry he's leading this research. but for my purposes at this point as you look at this and this week of all weeks with the concussion movie coming out, let it go. let the survey go. let the research go. if it's your chief critic, then take those answers and be better off for it. >> what better way to have credibility for the report?

the whole ray rice issue was a microcosm of what's wrong with the nfl. re completely disconnected from the consequences of this sport they are engaged in. they are socializing young men into a culture of violence. right? and so is it at all surprising that you see the kind of corollary social damage surrounding players that we see? not at all surprising at all. they are off on this 19th century trajectory which is fundamentally out of touch with the rest of us. emily: your friend and podcast partner bill simmons called the commissioner of the nfl a liar with regards to the ray rice incident. espn suspended him. was that the right decision? malcolm: no, it was totally the wrong decision. first of all, if a sports columnist in a podcast can't exercise free speech -- and by the way, calling him a liar is not like it came out of nowhere. one reasonable conclusion from the whole ray rice saga is that the commissioner of the nfl knew about the existence of the videotape and was lying about it. i'm not saying that that is what he did but it's a reasonable conclu

. >> and safety on the football field. nfl players and their injuries on the field pro athletes react to the new movie called "concussion," after our forecast map. it will be warmer in new york city than los angeles on christmas eve. >> that's pretty cool. >> it's about time. >> great falls, you're stuck at 24. >> announcer: "world news now" weather, brought to you by gerber life insurance. mike? janet? cough if you can hear me. don't even think about it. i took mucinex dm for my phlegmy cough. yeah...but what about mike? he has that dry scratchy thing going on. guess what? it works on his cough too. cough! guess what? it works on his cough too. what? stop! don't pull me! spoiler alert! she doesn't make it! only mucinex dm relieves both wet and dry coughs for 12 hours with two medicines in one pill. start the relief. ditch the misery. let's end this. music starts and pgucci guiltyout the fragrances for him and for her. we've been changing things up witoh yeah.ve. it's a pleasure gel that magnifies both our sensations. it gives

what is the nfl saying about it right now? here's ryan smith. >> you're going to war with a corporation that owns a day of the week. >> reporter: the national football league speaking out exclusively to abc news just days before the premiere of "concussion." >> do you want fans to see this movie? if there's a benefit, we're going to elevate the conversation around the health and safety of our game. >> the trailer suggesting back then the league didn't want to face issues concerning head trauma. >> the nfl does not want to talk to you. >> when a movie like this comes this is a sign that the nfl how do we know they're not giving us all the information now. done. >> reporter: the league saying a updates to 39 rules related to health and safety in the last concussion protocols and investing millions to improve equipment like special straps that aim to regulate head movement in the helmet. is this enough? the doctor telling robin roberts no matter how protective the helmet, it won't stop injuries. >> look what happens to your brain

making sure we're studying in the nfl room, lifting weights. we're doing everything we always do and excited for this next opportunity to win. >> you see other players at charity events. is having bragging rights that important? >> we can't make the game bigger than what it is. playing jet football. not turning over the ball, we gotta get after them. on -- just cover the d. if we do that, we'll be fine. >> ain't that funny that we're both trying to play the same kind of football? so that's why at the end of the day, that's what's beautiful about this game. everybody wants to do and win. it's about going out there mondays and thursdays and doing it. for my team, we're excited. another opportunity to win. but as far as a rivalry, we're leaving that to the fans. we do want to go out there and obviously play football. >> have you seen any more spirit in practice this week leading up to this game? >> honestly, i think we're just trying to get all the horses ready for the race. it means something to our owners because they're the ones and as far as wh

the nfl denies that and the group handing out the nfl's money said it's setting the grant aside for another project. emails made public from the sony hacking scandal seemed to indicate the studio tried to avoid the nfl's wrath by softening some parts of the film. one august 2014 email from senior studio executive reads: >> that wouldn't surprise me, because they've downplayed the concussion situation for such a long time. >> joe is an nfl hall of fame guard. >> if the nfl did have a way of alternating the film or altering it in any way, of course they're going to try to soften it. >> it should be noted sony pictures has no formal business relationships with the nfl and the film's director strongly denies any effort to soften the story. as for players, one of thousands collectively awarded close to a billion dollars to settle a class action lawsuit, he said he's keeping his grandchildren away from the game he once loved. >> i've got five grandkids or do we have six? six grandsons. i really don't want them playing. >> dr. robert gladder is the director of sports medicine, we asked him if the

the nfl disagreed at the time. >> to stand by the truth to it the americans. >> i made it up. >> they are accusing you of fraud! >> if you retract you'll be fine. in all goes away. >> reporter: the nfl now acknowledges that there is a link between hits to the head and brain injuries. >> i think it's kind of dangerous. my son wants to play football. i'm like, no. >> reporter: the nfl's 2015 health and safety report showed there were fewer concussions than in 2012. >> nothing to risk, nothing to gain. >> just keep watching football. they knew about it. >> reporter: he said the players are getting the attention they deserve. >> roger goodell told 60 minutes the game is safer than it's ever been. he added that those rule changes he says are working. >>> well, moving on to weather, some late fog tonight but another potential record- breaker tomorrow. let's get right over to first alert meteorologist howard bernstein. what do you have? >> deborah, cool and damp now. only the low 50s and 40s and a lot of rain in pennsylvania and ohio, west virginia. most of in is north of us but to our frien

the nfl adamantly died the ticle's claim that t t nfl did not pull funding from the bu study and they wrote the nih makes all funding and nfl has no retow power. >> everyone who has been diagnosed with cte has one thing in common and a history of repetitive hits to the head. >> reporter: on study the doctor said the study is more important than the nfl. whether the nfl iss funding or not funding, that is really irrelevant to the work itself. we just want to get going. >> reporter: the 16 million dollar study is largely based on detecting chronic traumatic encephalopathy or cte, a brain disease in the living. during a "60 minutesb interview last month, roger goodell talked about the brain research donation to boston university. >> reporter: are you concerned about what they may find? >> no, we don't. >> reporter: you're sowing the seeds of your own destruction? >> no. we want fact. we think the facts will help us that is why we are advancing medical research, that's why we are funding directly to boston university on some of this research. >> reporter: repetitive head trauma chokes the

the nfl is accused of pulling grant money meant to explore brain trauma. hn henry smith reports, concussion is all about the league and the research into the condition. >> i found a disease that no one has ever seen. >> reporter: in the new sony pictures film concussion, will smith stars as real life forensic pathologist who coined the phrase for the disease. his pioneering research lead to the discovery of the disease born from blunt form trauma in the brains of some of the greats, players who took their own lives. the film chronicles how the nigerian-born doctor went from knowing nothing about football to becoming the leading scholar on the research. three days before the movie hits theaters, multiple reports have the league reneging on a $30 billion grant promise to a leading brain injury research group. the reason, according to reports, the project is being lead by a leading critic of the league, dr. robert stern. the nfl denies that, and says it is setting the grant aside for another project. and emails made public from the sony hacking studio, seem to

. >>> and hollywood versus the nfl. a blockbuster new film and a doctor that made a shocking discovery. "nightly news" begins right now. >>> good evening. i'm thomas roberts. lester has the night off. as most people around the country are safely celebrating the holiday tonight, christmas this year for people in mississippi, tennessee and arkansas is like no other. the death toll has risen to 14. ages 7 to 70. after a violent system of tornados devastating a swath of the country, making for catastrophic clean-up from the deep south extending north to michigan. and to add insult to of weather could hit the south this weekend as millions of holiday travellers are expected to return home on the roads or in the air. we begin tonight with nbc's mark potter. >> reporter: in holly springs, mississippi, families spent christmas day trying to salvage what they could. >> speak of the grinch that stole christmas. but spared our lives. >> reporter: the season of giving took on new meaning in this community. with donations pouring in.

inadvertently taking on the nfl. e: it sets up this clip where you don't feel adequate to complete the mission. will: what i was a boy growing up in nigeria, heaven was here and america was here. i have never wanted anything as much as i wanted to be except as an american. mike webster goes mad, and nobody asks why. they make fun of him. they insult him on tv. they want to pretend that his disease does not exist. they want to bury me. i am the wrong person to discover this. peter: her character is almost more than that. he builds her a dream house. she was an intrinsic part of the dream. he needed her to unlock the rest of the dream, family, americanness. they build a house in a beautiful leafy suburb outside of pittsburgh. a dream house that they have to abandon because he was exiled and destroyed. charlie: did you tone it down at all? peter: not at all. there was a strange moment when we were accused of something we had no idea was on the air. i had no communication with the nfl. didn't want it. they had nothing to

the nfl is taking them over. they will be used for media, staging, half time and security. e promised alternate soccer fields but the looking said they only get two fields, monday through friday and no weekends meaning 1,500 kids have no place to play. >> we would go home tomorrow if someone would promise you have a good place to play, a field that suits the caliber of players you have, we would go home. >> we believe we have provided adequate fields and made that argument to the judge in the chambers. >> another big concern by league officials is what condition will the fields be in after the super bowl? the nfl agreed to repair the fields but there is nothing in writing and it would delay the games indefinitely. we will find out about the judge's decision at noon and a hearing is held next when on the preliminary injunction. >> and a sinkhole in san francisco's noe valley is causing traffic delays and impacting muni service right now. percentage repair crew is at church and 24th to fix the sewer line failure that led to the sinkhole with traffic between jersey and 24th clo

just execute at a higher level. >> a day of upsets in the nfl. in atlanta, carolina was trying to stay unbeaten. two weeks ago the panthers embarrassed the falcons 38-0, today a different story in the third quart, matt ryan scrambles before going deep to julio jones who makes a tremendous leaping catch. a 70-yard 2001, what play. down by seven. the panthers had one more chance but cam mute ton is stripped of the ball show. falcons hand carolina its first loss of the season. >>> she seahawks tough at home to beat but the rams not intimidated. this fumble is taken 45 guard a touchdown. 10-0 st. louis. the rams steppedded their led in second quarter. case keenum goes deep for kenny britt, who makes a great grab in end zone. st. louis wins, 23-17. the first time the rams have won in seattle in ten years. >>> the patriots trailed the jets for almost the entire game but with under two minutes left, tom brady finds james white nor the score go to overtime. new england won the coin toss but chose to kick the ball. new york would take advantage. ryan fitzp

>> there is only 32 of those jobs in the nfl and guys don't turn them down. unless you are in buffalo like marone was last year. and let's bring in jay glazer. he's on the deck of the missouri. >> i have the great studio audience right now. and you were talking about johnny manziel or no? ye or nay? well a resounding no. and the reason johnny manziel is not in, number two quarterback today instead of number three. but the browns told him right off the bat, because of what you did, you will have to go above and beyond and show us you earn the right to become the starting quarterback. he is not done that and that is why he is not starting out there in cleveland. now we shift gears and talk abouuthe arizza cardinals andnd hris johnson placed on short-term i.r. with a cracked tibia. he said if i could get in shot and have a bullet in my anything. and the gm said they are putting him on short-term i.r. and they think he could back quickly. and whether or not he should be on i.r., tony romo. i talked to him this week. he said unlike a couple of weeks agag where he w

something to hold the nfl accountable just in case. and they want it discussed in the open.former congressional candidate was here. he thinks the league's demand makes sense. >> i hope that santa clara will stand strong and stand by the kids for playing soccer. >> meanwhile, the league's 1600 players just wished things were simpler. >> i don't want to damage the field. it is going to affect our playing. >> since the discussion was scraped, the deal will be further discussed in open session next tuesday. in santa clara, lisa amin gulezian, abc7 news. >> the man behind one of the most popular outdoor clothing companies in the world has died after a kayaking accident. doug tompkins founded north face. he later founded espree with his ex-wife. he left the retail world in the 1990s to be a conservationist in chile. he was kayaking when his boat capsized and he died of hypothermia. they were preparing a story about him. he was 72 years old. >>> a well-known san francisco landlord passed away. he started the company trinity properties which owns buildings and apartments all over th

demarco morgan is here with the nfl's response. from the nih will come from a 30 million dollar donation the league gave for these stoous but the nfl has denied espn's claim that the league cut ties with the study because the doctors spearheading it has been critical of the nfl. according to the espn report, the nfl pulled out of funding of boston university brain study after taking issue with its lead researcher dr. robert stern. >> it was clear they were expected to fund this study and they are not. >> reporter: he is an espn reporter and co-author of the article. >> the nfl rejected to him. they questioned whether he could remain impartial. >> reporter: but in a statement, the nfl adamantly died the article's claim that the nfl did not pull funding from the bu study and they wrote the nih makes all funding and nfl has no retow power. >> everyone who has been diagnosed with cte has one thing repetitive hits to the head. >> reporter: on study the doctor said the study is more important than the nfl. >> whether the nfl is funding or

controversy building over concussions in the nfl. we'll talk to a former player that says his new patented design would make helmets better in the sport. and why charlie brown's famous scene almost did not make the cut. >>> there is now a slew of complaints from muslim men, being blocked from traveling to america. starting with a highly publicized report that said he and his family could not get to disney land. roxana saberi reports. >> my work is fitness, that's all i care about fitness that's it. >> he said he felt humiliated at london gatwig airport, when officials barred him and ten of his family members from boarding a flight to los angeles. even though they had travel visas. >> i don't know what to say, the only thing comes to my mind is because i have a muslim name perhaps. >> the pakistani born british citizen says his family members were devastated they couldn't go on to disneyland. >> i would plan this trip for two months, kids are excited, then all of a sudden someone comes aboard saying you are not allowed to board the pla

took his case to the nfl today, hoping to have his one day suspension overturned. plus, the shorthanded knicks with a val unit effort on the road. out from southwest asia, trying to say happy holidays, and miss you guys. >>> we have your new york knicks tonight. >> a little shorthanded, but played well. avert their eyes, with no carmelo anthony, one word could have described their chances, yikes. but porzingis posted his 11th, double-double of the season. the knicks trailed much of the game. took their first lead with 11 minutes to go, but the cavs really tighten their d in the final minutes. they can't put it in the bucket. the knicks score just 12 4th quarter points. the cavs go on to win it by 7. >>> elsewhere, only two nba teams have fewer wins than brooklyn. mavs guard, j jberrea, a real dirk nowitzki passed shaquille o'neal for sixth on the nba's all-time scoring list. the mavs slip out of town with a win. >>> odell beckham jr. got a chance to tell his side of the story today, but the nfl decided to uphold his side of the suspension. beckham jr. will not play

something to hold the nfl accountable just in case. and they want it discussed in the open.ssional candidate was here. he thinks the league's demand makes sense. >> i hope that santa clara will stand strong and stand by the kids for playing soccer. >> meanwhile, the league's 1600 players just wished things were simpler. >> i don't want to damage the field. it is going to affect our playing. >> since the discussion was scraped, the deal will be further discussed in open session next tuesday. in santa clara, lisa amin gulezian, abc7 news. >> the man behind one of the most popular outdoor clothing companies in the world has died after a kayaking accident. doug tompkins founded north face. he later founded espree with his ex-wife. he left the retail world in the 1990s to be a conservationist in chile. he was kayaking when his boat capsized and he died of hypothermia. they were preparing a story about him. he was 72 years old. >>> a well-known san francisco landlord passed away. he started the company trinity properties which owns buildings and apartments all over the city. in th

but the field is expected to be handed over to the nfl as early as monday. reporting live in santa clara, cate caugiran, kpix 5. >>> new this morning, the mother of the so-called "affluenza" teen was handed over to u.s. marshals this morning after being captured in mexico. texas prosecutors say she will be charged with hindering the apprehension of a juvenile which could mean up to 10 years in jail. she has been on the run with her son since he was seen on video drinking. he got probation for killing four people in a drunk driving arrest as a youth. >>> bill cosby was arrested for sexual assault against a temple university employee back in 2004. if convicted, he could face up to 10 years behind bars. he turned over his passport to the court. he didn't enter a plea. >> this case involves a woman and a man who had a consensual adult relationship over time. >> dozens of women have recently said that cosby also took advantage of them sexually but in most of the cases, the statute of limitations to file charges has expired. so this is the first time cosby has been

taking on the nfl. se: it sets up this clip where you don't feel adequate to complete the mission. will smith: what i was a boy growing up in nigeria, heaven was here and america was here. never wanted anything as much as i wanted to be except as an american. died in no one asks why. they make fun of him. they insult him. they want to pretend that his disease does not exist. they want to bury me. i am the wrong person to discover this. ." peter: his wife builds the dream house. she was an intrinsic part of the dream. family and americanness they build a house in a beautiful leafy suburb outside of pittsburgh. a dream house that they have to abandon because he was exiled and destroyed. rose: did you talk it down? peter: we were accused of something. i had no communication with the nfl. didn't want it. we were making a story about this man not about the nfl. charlie rose: you believe they want to do something about concussions? nfl wantselieve the to protect its bottom line. they will do whatever they have

they want details, a contract, a timeline, and something to hold the nfl accountable just in case. they want it all discussed out in the open. former conditioningal candidate was here and thinks the demands make sense. >> i hope that santa clara will stand strong and stand by the kids who are playing soccer. all the league's 1,600 players wish it was simpler. >> why want to damage the field. it will affect our laying. >> the discussion in closed session was scrapped, the deal will be further discussed in opposition next tuesday. in santa clear for abc7 news. >>> 4:45. zuckerberg posts baby pictures on facebook putting up this picture with his new daughter, max, now two weeks old. zuckerberg plans to take to months paternity leave before he returns to work. >> it is 4:45 and we have a different issue to come our way in the weather department. you have been monitoring it? >> tomorrow the commute is the most affected by our first storm. we will show you where it is right new with live doppler hd and you can see it is giving a break to the pacific northwest because as we talked about th

none of the nfl players involved would talk to "american greed." the experience with i.m.a. is an embarrassment they want to put behind them. up next... what happens when football players get ripped off? kirk wright is about to get blitzed. for more about the nfl players' battle with kirk wright, go to americangreed.cnbc.com. "american greed" will return in americangreed.cnbc.com. "american greed" will return in a moment. >> narrator: atlanta hedge-fund manager kirk wright is building a financial empire. he claims to have a secret recipe for stock-market success, but he's not telling his investors what it is. >> and that's the classic conundrum of hedge funds. how much transparency do you have to have for your investors versus giving away your secrets? >> narrator: international management associates grows to $84 million, all under kirk wright's personal management. he lavishes attention on investors and potential clients. >> he was spending a ton of money on travel and entertainment-type expenses -- flying people out for football games here at the georgia dome, showing them

. >>> a heated battle is under way right now between the nfl and local soccer league. the league plans to use the santa clara youth soccer field as a media center during the super bowl. but local soccer players are now suing. kpix 5 reporter cate caugiran joining us live now with more on the field feud. good morning. >>> reporter: members and parents are afraid after the nfl is done with their field their kids won't have a place to play not to mention the youth soccer league says this decision was made behind their backs so now as you mentioned they are suing. the youth soccer league says the fields are being handed over to the nfl for free and they are worried about what condition they will be returned in. the original plan for the field was staging for the halftime show but now it will be a media center for 6,000 visiting press. the concern that the plywood and stakes for a media center will destroy the pitch potentially destroying the high quality grass and irrigation. when the soccer park is returned, it's not going to be returned in march. it's probably going to be

the mayor said the nfl understands oakland is operating in a uniquely complex situation and we can't rush what needs to be a transparent process. the mayor said no taxpayer money should be spent on a new football stadium. whether or not the raiders play here in the future, the city is still paying for past construction. >> we need to find creative ways to keep the team. >>> and right now we have breaking news from southern california. that is where a 4.3 earthquake hit 75 miles east of downtown los angeles. it hit at 5:48 p.m. you can see what the shaking looked like on the seismograph. that is from our sister station, kabc. no doubt a lot of people in the southland felt that. a 4.3 earthquake. >> today, cal's quarterback broke records in leading the bears to win at lockheed martin armed forces bowl. cal beat the air force 55-36 in fort worth, texas. we'll have highlights in sports later on in the newscast. >>> friday, stanford will take on iowa in the rose bowl. you can catch the game on espn on new year's day at 2:00 p.m. >> new developments in eastern contra costa county. 5,000 pg

have you checked with the nfl? ben: we were able to hit our goal on kickstarter, get the up and running. it has been a really exciting process. as far as the nfl goes, we have been focused more on k12 athletes than professional athletes so far. karen: benjamin, thank you for being here today. it is wonderful when you are doing to help stem the tide. ben: thank you. karen: learn more about everything on today' s program by logging on to our "cityline" page at wcvb.com and follow us on twitter and facebook. thank you. have a great rest of your day,

a south bay youth soccer field is suing the nfl. cate caugiran reports. >> reporter: there was an outpouring of support for the youth league hearing what the judge had to say. santa clara's youth soccer league is fighting for their place to play. they say their fields are being handed over to the nfl for free and worry about the condition they will be returned in. the original plan was staging area for the halftime show but now it will be a media center for 6,000 visiting press. the concern is the plywood and stakes for a media center will destroy the pitch, potentially destroying the high quality grass and irrigation leaving 1500 players without a place to play. >> we want adequate fields for the club. we secured those fields. if any others are available we are open to trying to locate that. >> the city broke its own law. essentially, the youth that's allowed for the park is for and i quote directly youth soccer only. >> reporter: attorney for santa clara's youth league argued when the city built the field years ago it was under a c