Will Smith To Play NFL Player Diagnosed With CTE
Will Smith will be starring in an upcoming untitled film directed by Ridley Scott. Margot Robbie of The Wolf Of Wall Street is reported to be his co-star (FirstShowing.Net).The film is based on real life events, chiefly the recent discovery of a condition called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) that afflicts professional athletes such as NFL players. Will Smith will play an NFL player who develops the condition.
CTE is a degenerative condition thought to affect at least 3.7% of NFL players. The condition causes reduction in brain weight, and atrophy of the frontal lobe and other brain cortices.
Physicians speculate that the prominence of hte condition is increasing “perhaps due in part to athletes becoming bigger and stronger producing greater magnitudes of force in collision (Wikipedia).”
This is definitely not the typical football movie that focuses on a dysfunctional team bonding on their journey to win trophies. Its a drama that poses a serious question about the lengths we are willing to go to for sports, entertainment, and money.