Ten years before the National Football League made a $30 million grant for concussion research, a Nigerian doctor named Bennet Omalu discovered chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a brain disease we now know as "CTE."
"Concussion," the film depicting Dr. Omalu's journey to this discovery opened in theaters Christmas Day.
Denver 7Sports anchor Jahmai Webster sat down with lead actor Will Smith, who’s earned a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal as Dr. Omalu.
"First and foremost, this is not an anti-NFL film," said Smith. At its core, this is a film about a Nigerian immigrant who loved America and came to this country and made a discovery that put him in conflict with the country that he loved so dearly...because he [Dr. Omalu] was from Nigeria, he didn't have football intoxication...so it was very interesting, it [CTE] was almost only a thing an outsider would have been able to discover," added the 47-year-old actor.
Webster also sat down with actor David Morse, who plays Pittsburgh Steelers Pro Football Hall of fame center Mike Webster.
Webster died at age 50, after experiencing dementia. He was the first patient Dr. Omalu diagnosed with CTE.
So far, doctors haven't been able to diagnose the brain disease in living patients.
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