Headhunters to get Hunter's head

Bears linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer is one of more than a dozen NFL players who have pledged to donate their brain and spinal cord tissue for concussion research.

Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Haynes and retired players Zach Thomas, Kyle Turley and Conrad Dobler also have said they will help the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy at Boston University School of Medicine.

Steve Young, the former 49ers great who suffered several concussions during his career, said he was willing to donate his brain, "but do i have to do it now?" asked Young, apparently still suffering from the effects of the concussions.

Meanwhile, ESPN's Monday Night Football has no plan on donating its show open, which shows two helmets colliding, to the Museum of Broadcast Communications.