Will Smith Comments on Head Trauma in Football at 'Concussion' Premiere

The upcoming film Concussion focuses on head injuries in the sport of football, and the movie's star, Will Smith, revealed prior to Tuesday's premiere how much being part of the project taught him about the subject matter.

Smith plays the role of Dr. Bennet Omalu, who is credited as the first person to publish findings of chronic traumatic encephalopathy—or CTE—in the brains of football players.

According to the Press Association (h/t BT.com), the 47-year-old actor was largely unaware of how big an issue head trauma has become in football, but the topic hit home since his son, Jaden Smith, played the sport in high school:

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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. I didn't know the potential results of repetitive head trauma and I felt as a parent I was uninformed so I wanted to create this for people to make informed decisions.

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Per Beth Harris of the Associated Press (h/t USNews.com), the film's director, Peter Landesman, views Concussion as an educational endeavor rather than a direct shot at the NFL.

"Anybody who sees this movie knows this movie is a shot between the eyes of the NFL," he said. "Not because we're going after the NFL. Just because the truth is our defense, you know, and it's a powerful movie about human beings. It's not a hit piece about corporate America."

Despite Landesman's point of view, CBS Sports analyst and former NFL kicker Jay Feely has heard that there is some concern within the NFL regarding how the movie will impact the league:

Awareness when it comes to head trauma in football is at an all-time high, but as Smith's comments suggest, not everyone is fully educated on the subject.

That promises to change on Christmas Day when Concussion officially hits theaters and sheds even more light on the head injury issues that are plaguing the NFL and the sport of football in general.

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