Why Reid Urban Wants You to See "Concussion"

As you are well aware, concussions are no laughing matter. They happen in hockey lots of times. Marian Hossa and Chris Pronger are among those who have had concussions in the NHL. Chris Pronger is currently retired and dealing with problems of memory because of the concussions he stained on the ice. Well, as you are well aware, the movie "Concussion" starring Will Smith is out in theaters on Christmas and I, for one, am going to go see that movie. There is one industry that doesn't want you to go see it: The NFL.

Yes, a few days ago, Katie Couric of Yahoo released an article explaining why the NFL doesn't want people to go see Concussion. They even get more details about concussions linked to suicides from the parents of Adrian Robinson. Robinson was a former linebacker who committed suicide at age 25 and was later found to have been dealing with the effects of CTE, a degenerative brain disease that causes problems with memory and function of the brain. Couric asks experts about the impact of CTE and one expert, Dr. Ann McKee of Boston University states that "Individuals with CTE usually experience cognitive problems - memory lapses or behavioral systems like depression or irritability." So, as you can see, CTE is a major problem that we, as a society, are trying to eradicate to protect our players and to protect people who play football or who want to play football.

So, in this movie, the NFL is the one being put under the microscope, as the article states. Dr. Bennet Omalu is the man who linked football to CTE, and this movie chronicles the case about former NFL Hall of Famer Mike Webster, who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and died at 50 from a heart attack. Omalu does an autopsy on him and later finds that he does have CTE and tries to get the NFL to reason with him. Well, surprisingly enough, the NFL turns a blind eye to this, and that's why the NFL doesn't want people to see this movie. It basically scrutinizes them for turning a blind eye to this important finding in health. Football players are dying of CTE and the NFL says it is not because of their game. So they try to ignore Omalu's claims. In the movie, even his own allies and superiors are trying to deter him from going any further. Does Omalu listen? No. He keeps going and tells people to tell the truth and to acknowledge the presence of CTE being linked to playing football.

Although the NFL has enhanced safety for its players to help them prevent CTE and brain damage, it almost feels like they should've done something back then, so that Mike Webster could still be here talking with us today. To me, if the movie is confirming what the NFL has done and that it turned a blind eye to this very important issue, then the people responsible for siding with the NFL need to be ousted from their positions. It's a very important message. Putting business and the prospect of trying to get money over peoples' lives and their health is a thing that sickens me. I care about every individual and living the best and healthiest life that they can. And here, if the NFL is saying "Screw you. This is a business. We're gonna keep you in the game no matter how painful it is," then get out. Just get out! Roger Goodell probably should've been gone a long time ago, but this movie might put the icing on the cake for him. He's already had problems with players, like Tom Brady in Deflategate or Ray Lewis in the domestic abuse incident, but now he has a problem with players who might have CTE.

In April, a federal judge approved a billion-dollar class action lawsuit settlement brought by thousands of former players who claimed the NFL buried the dangers and consequences of playing football. I applaud them for bringing this forward because like I said, if the NFL did something about this, everybody responsible should not even be part of the NFL. They could've come out and said "We acknowledge this. We're going to take every precaution we can to protect our players," but they didn't. They just let them play on and they kept getting hurt and hurt and hurt and nobody said something. To me, that smells foul.

So, for me, I want you to go see this movie. This movie tells the truth. This movie tells what the NFL did and holds them accountable for all the damage they have done to their players. I want this movie to be the truth. There are thousands of football players out there right now who demand to know why the NFL covered this up, why they allowed players back out onto the field, and why they try to close the door on a man who found out what happened and tried to get the league to understand what is happening. I want every person, every corporation, and every business in the world to understand that money is not the most important thing in the world, it's the people. The people are important and having them healthy is the most crucial thing you can have. Forget about racking up thousands of dollars to line your own pocket. Think about those who want to be healthy, who want to live their lives with families and be able to go home every day and be with their families and kids and wives. The NFL may have taken that away for many football players. I want accountability. The NFL may have acknowledged this, but if the movie is coming out, then they missed saying something. And that's what I want to see. I want to see the miss. And I want you to see it too. I want you to know what happened. Bennet Omalu was trying to get his research onto the NFL's desk and they tried to throw it aside, saying it's "evolving" or "completely false," but it's not. And if they have known about it for years, well shame on them.

Concussions are no picnic and nobody should have to go through them. We should be able to protect our people and let them live healthy lives and go home to their families and be able to spend time with them. Every human being is an important one and that's what I believe. Even those I don't know well or know at all, I still care about them too. And those who play football, I especially care about. Because every day, I want them to win or lose as a healthy individual. That's what's important. Forget about money. Forget about politics. Focus on the health and well-being of our players, our warriors, and every other human being that lives on this planet. Care about them. Let them live healthy and have a long life. Let's do that.

So go see the movie. Forget what the NFL is. They are trying to save face and I would say Forget Face. Go see it. Go see what the NFL has done. I will. And I hope this movie brings some hope and light to those who are living with CTE right now. We already have lost many promising players to suicides and deaths linked to CTE, like Webster and Robinson and even Junior Seau. Let's stop another one from happening. In my words inspired by Bennet Omalu (or Will Smith): Go see the movie "Concussion." Go see it!!

To see the Yahoo! article about why the NFL doesn't want you to see Concussion, go to: http://news.yahoo.com/why-the-nfl-doesnt-want-you-to-see-concussion-162042545.html. This article by Katie Couric and Steven Shapiro.