Michael Gehlken: ‘Concussion’ movie brings CTE to life
There is power in video.
The medium can capture what the written word cannot, partly the reason Ray Rice is a free agent and Greg Hardy a Dallas Cowboy. Rice’s act of domestic violence was caught on camera; none of Hardy’s “at least four instances” of physical force on his ex-girlfriend, as concluded by an NFL investigation, were.
Seeing is believing.
Such is the value of “Concussion.”
I attended a recent screening of the Christmas Day film, which focuses on brain injuries in the NFL, largely out of curiosity. This story was not planned. It is the result of having discussed the film with editors, an assignment to share the perspective of someone who covers an NFL team on a daily basis.
The movie is powerful. At times, it is chilling. It might even prove to be a game-changer.
The medium is why.
Starring Will Smith as Dr. Bennet Omalu, the man credited for discovering chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease associated with sub-concussive hits absorbed in such sports as football, “Concussion” breaks ground. It forces the public to confront a question that, to this point, hasn’t required an answer. The question quietly has loomed for years.
What if there was video?
Domestic violence cases in the NFL were left to words until Rice was caught punching his then-fiancee and dragging her unconscious body from a New Jersey elevator. That is what domestic violence looks like, and yet, seeing it changed everything.
What about CTE?
“Concussion” is the first video depiction. Millions of people, including an important demographic of current and potential youth-football parents, will sit through 2 hours and 3 minutes of images and decide what, if any, effect the film will have on how they consume and approach the sport.
It is doubtful “Concussion” will do much to slow the NFL’s record-high television ratings. How it could affect already decreasing participation levels in youth tackle football deserves the league’s attention. Omalu has recommended that tackle football be removed from the equation entirely until the age of 18.
There was no video of Junior Seau, 43, pointing and firing a gun to his chest inside his California home. There was no video of Paul Oliver, 29, shooting himself in the head in his Georgia home in front of his wife and two young sons. There was no video of Adrian Robinson, 25 and a father of a months-old daughter, hanging himself inside his Philadelphia apartment.
“Concussion” comes close.
It takes us to the parked truck inside which former Steelers center Mike Webster lived. It takes us to the speeding truck of former Steelers offensive lineman Justin Strzelczyk. It takes us to the Florida bedroom of former Bears safety Dave Duerson.
It is one thing to read about the content in this film. For the general public, to watch will be uncharted territory.
Omalu discovered CTE. “Concussion” brought it to life.