The NFL has increasingly found itself under pressure to do something about the safety of their game and the ongoing problem of concussions in the sport over recent years, but that all started with one discovery.
Dr. Bennet Omalu is the man who is largely responsible for discovering and researching chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE, the brain trauma caused by repeated concussions, and he faced plenty of pressure to sweep his findings under the carpet.
As a result of an autopsy performed on "Iron" Mike Webster, one of the greatest players in Pittsburgh Steelers' history, he was able to show the dangers faced by repeated concussions and brain injuries in the sport of American football.
In his new movie, Will Smith takes on the role of the Nigerian born doctor Omalu, who is finding that the NFL do not want him to release the results of all his research.
The movie, entitled Concussion, is due to be released around Christmas this year, and speaking to Sports Illustrated, director Peter Landesman said that he has no particular position to support, he simply wants to make sure people know the real story: "the information has been obscured for a long time, it’s been buried and covered up by people who don’t want to damage the sport—the information is now out there and I hope this movie brings together the information in a way that the general public can metabolize and now make their own decisions".
Via Uproxx
