NFL Charities awarded the University of Minnesota a $100,000 medical research grant Tuesday, with two thirds of the money focused on investigating the effects of concussions.

The University was one of 15 organizations awarded the NFL's grant, according to a release.

"We are proud to support sports-related medical research through NFL Charities Medical Research Grants,” said Commissioner Roger Goodell. “These research projects have implications far beyond football, and we are committed to playing a role in helping make sports safer.”

Donald Dengel, an associate professor at the University of Minnesota's School of Kinesiology, said they are all very excited about the program, the Pioneer Press reported.

"The University always has a positive reaction to grants, but the NFL grant has a little mystique to it, " Dengel said.

Dengel, who will be leading the research team, said they want to focus their study on MRI methods after concussions to better understand how people's brains are affected by concussions. According to Dengel, MRI's currently work like a camera, and they want to change it into working like a video camera.

"We've spent three years researching our technique, and it's exciting that they have the same philosophy and think our ideas could work," Dengel said.

Penn State and Ohio State were other Midwest schools that received the grant.