JARED HILL
Special to The Leader
“Concussion” is the story about Dr. Bennet Omalu, the neuropathologist who first discovered chronic traumatic encephalopathy, when the brain of former Pittsburgh Steeler “Iron” Mike Webster was placed in his hands.
Simply put, the story is about one medical examiner who discovers a disease, only to find that the National Football League was becoming his adversary. The NFL wasn’t only determined, but active with aggression to put Omalu’s work into the shadows, along with the truth.
The film stars Hollywood favorite Will Smith as Omalu. The problem with “Concussion” certainly won’t be with its performances, as this is the time of year actors try to get in Oscar-worthy performances, much like last year’s “Dallas Buyers Club” with Jared Leto and Matthew McConaughey.
What seems inherently wrong with “Concussion,” according to online reviews, is that the film is droll, failing to have engaging drama and containing a narrative that is lacking in regards to Dr. Omalu and his stance against the NFL.
Smith even admits this film isn’t what he thought it would be: “It’s less about football and more about the power and necessity for the truth.” Even so, it’s doubtful that the “power and necessity for the truth” would lead to Omalu saying in the PBS Frontline documentary “League of Denial: The NFL’s Concussion Crisis,” “I wish I never met Mike Webster … you can’t go against the NFL.”
This side of the story — the demise and degradation of Omalu — is the side not seen much. This side, where NFL doctors essentially dismissed his unbiased medical research, which was published in the medical journal Neurosurgery, calling his findings “voodoo” (this language was used against a Nigerian-born man.)
According to The Guardian, “Omalu is never afforded a moment in ‘Concussion’ to express worry or doubt about the severe toll his work eventually takes on his personal life … he simply perseveres to do right by his new homeland.”
“Concussion” was the opportunity for this tragic story, not only about Omalu, but the NFL denied the link between traumatic brain injury and football. They besmirched an innocent doctor and surrounded themselves in solidarity with denial of the truth.
Fredonia senior computer science major Ibrahima Toure believes that the film will have a global impact.
“It’s going to be huge,” said Toure. “Everybody’s going to hear about his [Omalu’s] story. Not only that, but how the NFL covered it up. Even though this is known information, it’s not only going to spread in America, but internationally, as well.”
While the story will indeed become better known through Hollywood, the film’s expectations are relatively average at this point. “Concussion” is currently rated at 65 percent on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer.