One of the biggest hot button topics in the NFL is the issue of concussions. With a number of players recently dying and allowing their brains to be used for research, more and more NFL players were found to have brain damage that might be caused from the number of hits they received while playing. The NFL has pretty much tried to deny any responsibilities for these injuries but a new Ridley Scott football movie plans to crack open this controversy.
This is one of many movies that Scott is circling, including a Prometheus sequel, a Blade Runner sequel or prequel, and his Biblical movie Exodus, which he is shooting right now. Basically, Scott is staying very busy.
The NFL concussion issue hit the mainstream when San Diego Chargers linebacker Junior Seau committed and examination of his brain showed the same damage that existed in other deceased former NFL players. This led to a lawsuit, which the NFL fought but finally reached a settlement with. The league still denies that they knew that hard hits to the head and concussions caused brain damage and they did nothing to fix the problem.
It has now got to the point where current commissioner Roger Goodell is making sweeping changes, claiming to be trying to fix the concussion problem but honestly just showboating around the issues. That is concerning and the fact that the NFL has reached a settlement means there was some concern that they might lose the case if it went to trial.
The Ridley Scott football movie will deal with the long-term effects of concussions on football players, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it didn’t revolve around a case of a player committing suicide. The film is described as similar to Michael Mann’s The Insider.
I think it is an important subject and there might be no one better than Ridley Scott to direct it (although Michael Mann would have been a cool choice too).
Source: Deadline
