It didn’t take a doctor to tell us that football players who suffer repeated concussions are doing major damage to their brains… well actually, it did. His name is Bennet Omalu, and he discovered chronic traumatic encephalopathy (or CTE) after conducting the autopsy of former NFL player Mike Webster.
Will Smith will play Omalu in Sony Pictures’ Concussion, slated for release this December 25th. The film tells the story Omalu’s discovery and subsequent struggle against the NFL to get recognition for the disease.
CTE continues to be a huge bone of contention within the NFL — which is the most lucrative sports league in the world. Having a true A-lister like Will Smith drawing attention to it at the height of the season will likely make NFL execs yearn for the days of deflated balls.
Watch the first trailer: