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‘Concussion’ Movie Continues To Awaken And Enrage NFL Players

By Colin Fredericson
Published on: 10:13 PST, Jan 3, 2016

Will Smith’s Concussion movie was arguably the most important release of 2015. Concussion will likely continue to reverberate throughout 2016 and slowly gather more and more weight at the box office. The film has already catalyzed change by its very existence, just as the film’s subject, Dr. Bennet Omalu, catalyzed the NFL’s ugly reaction when he first began publishing reports of his findings.

This isn’t to take anything away from last year’s major movie releases. But don’t let the world of Star Wars or the controversy of Quentin Tarantino prior to The Hateful Eight minimize the impact that this movie is having both before and after its release.

The movie itself unravels Dr. Omalu’s story gradually, from early struggles in his professional career, to what would become his life’s focus, and through the backlash that almost sent him back to Nigeria. The pacing is beautiful. Those glued to the action film plots that dominate cinema need a sensory readjustment to let this story sink in. It unravels beautifully, slowly, and requires patience. There is no warp speed, hyperdrive, or teleportation on display here, but there is real heroism.

It’s important because it’s true. And it deals with an extremely pressing issue hidden in the fabric of American culture. With the Super Bowl holding worldwide sports prestige, a movie like this disrupts the pageantry because sports culture can’t ignore it. As awareness grows, the effect may be a souring and a declining popularity. When awareness spreads among the players, and when the fans start to think about things from the perspective of player health, and when the NFL sees a dwindling number of young athletes joining its ranks, this movie won’t be forgotten.

Already a long-time NFL tackle for the NY Jets, D’Brickashaw Ferguson wrote an insightful piece for Sports Illustrated about his NFL experiences and how they relate to revelations in Concussion.

“I’ve played in 165 games, including playoffs, participated in over 10,000 plays, and this doesn’t even include practices or training camps. Though I cannot remember ever having a concussion, I now know as an offensive lineman that it is the frequency of collisions that can ultimately lead to brain injury. It’s a different conversation when you are involved in the story and not just watching a movie about it. I fear the unavoidable truth is that playing football has placed me in harm’s way, and I am not yet sure of the full extent of what it might cost me.”

In a column for the Detroit Free Press, Detroit Lions player Don Carey expressed his shock upon seeing the movie. He and his wife are now reconsidering his professional sports career.

“Going in, I expected it would be a watered-down or exaggerated version of what NFL players actually go through, as is the case with most sports films. However, I was completely blown away at the accuracy and candor of the film.”

His Detroit Free Press article went on to explain how the movie’s representations come together with his own experiences on the football field.

“Due to several concussions I’ve had in my seven years in the NFL, my wife, who really wanted me to play football as long as possible, now is unsure in light of this movie.”

These are not reactions that will go unnoticed by the massive NFL conglomerate. The movie has players questioning why the NFL management would try to deny Omalu’s findings and fight intensely to discredit them. Movie fans don’t yet know the long term effects of a movie like Concussion, just like football players were not aware of all the later effects of a football concussion. Movie watchers can now watch how real life bears out the rest of Omalu’s story.

[Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images]

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