The upcoming Concussion film with Will Smith (portraying Dr. Bennett Omalu, who played a key role in the discovery of CTE in former NFLers) has also driven discussion about how it will depict the NFL, and so you might think it’s something ESPN would avoid, given their desire not to anger that league.
Advertisement
Dr. David Cifu who chairs the Dept. of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the VCU Medical Center says awareness has brought attention to concussion injuries and produced results.
But Smith is a football fan, a Philadelphia Eagles fan. A lot of the material in the movie was already covered in an excellent documentary and book, “League of Denial”, but a mainstream film starring one of the biggest names in Hollywood will reach a much larger audience. Movies. “For me, [the role] was really conflicting”.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, commercials for the movie featuring Will Smith will start airing very soon. The movie is going to be a revelation for many who watch.
“I’ve talked to professional football players and people who have been in the game a long time that don’t know the information that is in this film”.
But once Smith dug deeper into the story and realised it was less about football and more about the human condition, he signed up for the project immediately. We’re not out to wag our finger and say, ‘Don’t do this.’ It’s a hard thing: “The things we love in life sometimes are the things that kill us”.
Advertisement
Speaking of his oldest son, Willard “Trey” Smith III, the actor explained, “As a parent, my son played football”. The National Football League can’t be looking forward to it.
