VCU Researcher Pleased with Film’s Focus on Concussions

Will Smith’s controversial new film, “Concussion”, explores a real cover-up in the NFL.

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.

The movie deals with Omalu’s fight to expose the danger CTE posed to the players how the National Football League tried to squash his research and damage his reputation.

“I’m a football dad”, Smith said, according to Yahoo’s Meriah Doty. Movies. “For me, [the role] was really conflicting”.

“I felt like I had to deliver the information because I’m a football dad and I did not know, I did not know when I watched my son play football in high school for those four years, I did not know there was a potential long term neurological issue”. 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. Like Smith, many are either ignorant of the dangers of football when it comes to brain injuries or don’t want to confront the issue. The movie is going to be a revelation for many who watch.

“I’ve never had more fun as a parent than watching my son catch that football…” He singled out a line of dialog, “God does not want us to play football”, adding, “For anyone who knows anything about the NFL and that organization, those are heavy words, very heavy words”.

Instead, meeting with forensic neuropathologist Omalu, who uncovered the prevalence of the brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) among football players, convinced him to sign on.