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If the NFL was hoping to put the concussion crisis behind it, or at least keep any talk about it less on the forefront, the news of mega-duper-star (and not the Saints player) Will Smith signing on to concussion drama won't help matters.
According to Variety, Smith is "is in talks to star in the untitled drama based on the GQ article 'Game Brain' for Scott Free and Sony."
Smith would play Dr. Bennett Omalu, known as the "Brain Chaser," who gained fame during PBS Frontline's documentary League of Denial.
The GQ article in question was written by Jeanne Marie Laskas and would follow Smith's character as he (allegedly) discovers CTE in the brain of a football player.
[The] story is described as a whistle-blower tale in the vein of “The Insider” humanizing the price paid by professional athletes in impact sports — and the political, cultural and corporate interests that fuel the business of professional sports.
Now, I'm no intellectual property lawyer (just a once-certified paralegal), but I think the NFL would need to sign off on any use of the league in said movie. Example: Any Given Sunday never mentions the NFL specifically. Same with the quickly-squashed drama series on ESPN, Playmakers.
Sony and Smith could still make the movie, of course, but they just couldn't use the league's name or logo, etc.
