CONCUSSION News Roundup

The concussion-in-football issue is rather a simple one: Bennet Omalu was able to link chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease, to repeated blows to the head that many players sustain. Naturally, the NFL, over the tenure of two commissioners, ignored or dismissed his findings because, well, when you are a $7-billion-a-year business, nothing - including science - is going to get in the way of conducting that business.

The movie had a way of sneaking behind the mental barricades that made me confident about my future: I played corner; I wasn't a linemen or running back; I have never been knocked unconscious; I ended my career earlier than many of my peers.

I may not bleed orange and blue, but on game days I sweat the colors a little. I love the Denver Broncos, and I don't think that's too strong a word for it. It's practically a requirement when you live in Colorado, and those that don't cotton to 'em around these here parts are destined for a lifetime of scorn and crusty looks.

On any given Sunday 20 million Americans will watch Sunday Night Football; currently the no. 1 rated show on television. In February 2016, over 100 million viewers will watch Super Bowl 50. As a lifelong fan, I have tuned in often. An army of cameras will ensure NFL fans see the runs, passes, and hits.

My kids have wanted to play football since they were little boys, and my husband and I have always said no. We allow them access to every other sport and hobby that they love. They take dance class and play on lacrosse and basketball teams. As a family, we ski and mountain bike.

Football Will Smith's movie was arguably the most important release of 2015. Concussion will likely continue to reverberate throughout 2016 and slowly gather more and more weight at the box office. The film has already catalyzed change by its very existence, just as the film's subject, Dr. Bennet Omalu, catalyzed the NFL's ugly reaction when he first began publishing reports of his findings.

Imagine a major motion picture about NFL football, featuring Will Smith as the superstar lead actor, which got solid reviews. How do you think its opening weekend would go in our football-obsessed culture? Just such a movie, "Concussion," opened on Christmas Day and finished the weekend in an embarrassing sixth place - behind a terrible Alvin and the Chipmunks film.

Researchers have found the hallmarks of chronic traumatic encephalopathy throughout the brain of a 25-year-old former college football player who sustained more than 10 concussions during about 16 years on the gridiron.

I absolutely love football. It's a game that taught me so much about life. Playing football taught me about teamwork, sacrifice, and the fact that nothing lasts forever. It taught me about leadership and the importance of always living your truth no matter what the consequences.

When it comes to football, injuries occur so frequently that they are often considered simply a part of the game. However, should all injuries receive that same level of acquiescence? What about those injuries you never fully recover from? What about those injuries that severely impair the quality of your life even after the game is long over?

Bennet Omalu, played by Will Smith in the new film 'Concussion,' says it's time to ban children from playing high-contact sports.

PHOENIX, Ariz. -- It is no wonder that the National Football League is turning to Dr. Javier Cárdenas for advice in the treatment and prevention of concussions. The 40-year-old neurologist and director of the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix is a leading expert in the field and sits on the NFL's Head, Neck and Spine Committee.

A special screening for the Hollywood film 'Concussion' was held in Lodi on Saturday night, with the local man who inspired the movie. Dr. Bennet Omalu, a San Joaquin County pathologist who currently lives in Lodi, discovered the disease experienced by professional NFL players who sustained repeated concussions during their careers.

The doctor at the center of the new movie "Concussion" says his Catholic faith gave him the courage to pursue the truth about concussions in U.S. professional football. "What is there to be afraid of?" Bennet Omalu, a Nigerian-American forensic pathologist, asked. "If I profess to be a Christian seeking the truth, why would I stop?"