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CORK, Ireland -- After months of indecision over who to represent, Rory McIlroy announced Wednesday that he will play for Ireland -- not Britain -- at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The 25-year-old McIlroy, who is from Northern Ireland, was eligible to play for either Ireland or Team GB when golf makes its return to the Olympics in Brazil for the first time since 1904. Having played all of his amateur golf under the auspices of the Dublin-based Golfing Union of Ireland, the two-time major winner opted to stay with Ireland for the Olympics. "I have been thinking about the decision a lot and remembered all the times I represented Ireland as an amateur," McIlroy said on the eve of the Irish Open in Cork. "I was always very proud to put on the Irish uniform and play as an amateur and as a boy, and I would be very proud to do it again." McIlroy has twice played in golfs World Cup for Ireland, both times alongside fellow Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell. "Just because Im getting paid to play this great game now doesnt mean I should change (team)," McIlroy said. "So Im very happy with my decision. It means I can look forward to the Olympics in a couple of years time -- you know, if I qualify, obviously, for the team. "I just thought it was the right thing to do. It was the right time to let everyone know. Now Im really looking forward to Rio in 16." McIlroy announced his decision ahead of next months International Golf Federation meeting that will finalize the eligibility criteria for the 2016 and 2020 Olympics. "Theres no point in delaying it and letting it linger any longer," he said. "Watching the World Cup in Brazil, thinking about Brazil in a couple of years time, it just sort of got me thinking, maybe I should just go ahead and get it out of the way." Still, McIlroy said, winning an Olympic medal would not match winning a major championship. "The majors in our sport are the biggest and best prizes in the game," he said. "But as hopefully golf grows in the Olympics and becomes, say, bigger in four or five games down the line, then it might become bigger." Citizens of Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, can hold both British and Irish citizenship. Most of the Protestant majority is British, most of its Catholic minority Irish. McIlroy, while raised a Catholic, grew up in the predominantly Protestant town of Holywood east of Belfast and once said he considered himself more British than Irish. His 2012 comments -- suggesting he might prefer to join the British team -- provoked strong ill feelings from Irish golf fans. McIlroy initially said he might skip Rio entirely to avoid alienating fans further. Two other top Northern Ireland golfers, Darren Clarke and McDowell, are Protestants who have identified with Ireland. Jerome Baker Dolphins Jersey . He left in the 4th inning of Saturdays game against the Tigers after experiencing tightness. 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NEW YORK -- NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell took issue with the notion that the leagues $765 million settlement with former players is a paltry sum compared to the sports revenues. "This is a significant amount of money," he said Wednesday. "The plaintiffs also agreed it was an appropriate amount. The mediator felt it was an appropriate amount." Goodell made his first public comments since the settlement to the lawsuits was announced last week. More than 4,500 former players, some of them suffering from Alzheimers disease or depression, accused the NFL of concealing the long-term dangers of concussions and rushing injured players back onto the field. "We were able to find common ground to be able to get relief to the players and their families now rather than spending years litigating," Goodell said at an event in Manhattan to promote Februarys New York/New Jersey Super Bowl. The settlement was announced last Thursday after two months of court-ordered mediation and is subject to approval by a federal judge. It does not include an admission from the NFL that it hid information from players about head injuries. "We think its the right thing to move forward and try to do what we can to help our players," Goodell said. Some former players questioned the size of the settlement, consideringg it stretches over 20 years and will be divided among thousands of people -- and considering the NFL takes in more than $9 billion a year, a figure that will rise when new TV contracts start in 2014.dddddddddddd Goodell noted that those billions are revenues, not profits. The settlement applies to all past NFL players and spouses of those who are deceased -- a group that could total more than 20,000. It sets aside $75 million for medical exams and $10 million for medical research. Individual payouts would be capped at $5 million for men with Alzheimers disease; $4 million for those diagnosed after their deaths with a brain condition called chronic traumatic encephalopathy; and $3 million for players with dementia. The NFLs litigation may still not be over. Four former players filed a federal lawsuit in New Orleans on Sunday against the league and helmet maker Riddell, claiming they hid information about the dangers of brain injury. They want medical care for past, current and future NFL players. As the league and retired players debate what happened in the past, the NFL has promoted its initiatives aimed at making the game safer. Goodell appeared on "CBS This Morning" earlier Wednesday to help announce a program with Under Armour and GE to donate money toward projects that prevent head injuries. ' ' '