NEW YORK — NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has sent a letter to 44 governors urging them to pass a law similar to one in Washington state that protects young athletes from concussions.

The NFL said in an e-mail Sunday that Goodell's letter will be part of Dr. Richard Ellenbogen's testimony at Rep. John Conyers' forum on concussions in New York City on Monday.

Ellenbogen treated Zackery Lystedt, the Washington youth who suffered a brain injury in 2006 after returning to a middle school football game following a concussion.

His story prompted Washington to pass Lystedt's Law, which keeps young athletes from returning to play too soon. Other states have followed suit and adopted similar laws.

Ellenbogen and Dr. Hunt Batjer head the NFL's new Head, Neck and Spine Committee.