Watch: Will Smith's "Concussion" targets NFL
Roger Goodell is due in federal court on Monday to continue his seven-month fight to take down Tom Brady in the "Deflategate" scandal. But that may not be the biggest problem facing the NFL commissioner on Monday, CBS Boston reports.
Sony Pictures released its trailer for the upcoming film "Concussion."
In my column today is the exclusive trailer for @ConcussionMovie, starring Will Smith. http://t.co/niEkvJd1aK https://t.co/mVKMUm4rNy
— Peter King (@SI_PeterKing) August 31, 2015
The trailer, released via Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback, depicts the story of Dr. Bennet Omalu, a Pittsburgh doctor who had to fight through the juggernaut NFL in order to share the discovery of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) -- a condition in the brain which Omalu determined came from repeated trauma to the head.
Will Smith portrays Dr. Omalu in the film.
The film already had the attention of the owners back in July, when they reportedly spent significant time at their May 2015 meeting discussing how to deal with and respond to the movie 'Concussion.'
The NFL had a long history of denying any link between repeated blows to the head and the development of CTE, though the league has admitted some responsibility toward retired players' health, as evidenced by theconcussion settlement reached recently.
Earlier this year, Chris Borland, one of the most promising NFL rookies, retired from football after one season with the San Francisco 49ers, citing concussion risks. The 24-year-old linebacker's announcement brought the long-term effects of head trauma back into the spotlight, as Borland made the personal decision that the risk of brain damage "wasn't worth" the rewards of playing the game.
Among former NFL players who experienced brain trauma was Junior Seau, a star linebacker in the 1990s and 2000s who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in May 2012. A study at the National Institutes of Health found that Seau had abnormalities in his brain consistent with CTE.
More than a year before that, in February 2011, Dave Duerson, who rose to fame as a Pro Bowl safety in the '80s, shot himself in the chest, leaving a note asking for his brain to be donated to science. Researchers found "indisputable" evidence that Duerson had a moderately advanced case of CTE.
More recently, 27-year-old Sidney Rice of the Seattle Seahawks announced his retirement in July 2014 after experiencing multiple concussions. In an interview with CBS News, Rice said he was impacted by the stories of former NFL players like Hall of Famer Tony Dorsett, who was also diagnosed with having signs of CTE.