The trailer for Concussion is unambiguous, and the NFL will face serious backlash in December when the film is released.
There is no other message to take from 2:01 clip. It is clear that the movie will show Dr. Bennet Omalu as the brave pathologist who revealed how damaging football is to those who play it, and the NFL as the looming corporate power that would do anything to stop him.
Yet on Tuesday night The New York Times posted a story – built upon emails that were part of the Sony hack –saying the studio, Landesman and star Will Smith, who plays Omalu, worked to soften the movie in order to limit complaints from the NFL.