Brett Favre on Wednesday announced the release date for Concussed: The American Dream, a movie that documents the tragic story of Super Bowl champion Tyler Sash and his battle with CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy).
Favre, a three-time National Football League MVP and Hall of Famer, has openly questioned whether or not he has cognitive lapses potentially caused by CTE. He famously played in 321 straight games (by far the NFL record) regardless of whatever injuries he was dealing with – including head injuries.
The NFL might find itself in an uncomfortable spotlight with the release of Concussed.
A press release indicates the film “explores the dangerous realm of head injuries in professional sports” and notes the “narratives” of Sash and Favre are “similar in that both are dealing with the aftereffects” of CTE.
Favre posted on X that the film is set to drop on Tuesday, August 27th.
After years in the making, @ConcussedFilm is finally coming out next Tuesday.
— Brett Favre (@BrettFavre) August 21, 2024
I’m looking forward to Director @realdkano vision in sharing @TSash story with you all. You can pre-order now on Apple TV https://t.co/ssfMi20nGB pic.twitter.com/AjYRwnMNbB
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Brett Favre And Concussed
The main news here seems to be that the movie Concussed is prepared to reveal that Favre’s concerns about CTE have been amplified.
Favre, who won Super Bowl XXXI with the Green Bay Packers, has speculated on the matter in the past. To date, however, there has been no official diagnosis released to the public.
“I wonder if that is what it is, or do I have early stages of CTE? I don’t know,” he said in an interview with Megyn Kelly. “It makes you wonder.”
The former Packers quarterback was featured in a public service announcement (PSA) in 2021 urging parents not to allow their children to play tackle football under age 14.
A press release now states Favre “is currently dealing with the consequences of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) following two decades of playing professional football.”
That sounds rather definitive. And it’s scary that the documentary explores potential parallels between his case and that of Sash.
Sash was a standout safety for the University of Iowa who later played for the New York Giants, where he won a Super Bowl during his rookie season in 2012.
His life was cut short at age 27 when he was found dead in his hometown of Oskaloosa, Iowa, due to an accidental overdose involving methadone and hydrocodone. Sash had a history of painful injuries. Favre himself famously had a very dangerous addiction to painkillers, sometimes taking 15 or more Vicodin at a time.
Posthumously, Sash was diagnosed with stage 2 CTE.
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Will The Movie Cause Problems For The NFL?
Concussed isn’t just a story about football. It’s a narrative of human loss, detailing how the sport of football involves risks that can devastate lives.
Tyler Sash’s journey from a Super Bowl champion to his untimely death due to CTE underscores the real, tangible consequences of head injuries.
Attaching a name as big as Favre’s to the story makes it significantly more identifiable to the casual football or sports fan. And the league certainly doesn’t want a renewed focus on head injuries.
While the NFL has made significant strides in addressing player safety – they are allowing players this season to use padded headgear known as Guardian Caps – Concussed could serve as a stark reminder of past negligence or insufficient action.
The film’s timing, coinciding with the start of the season, could overshadow the league’s efforts to promote safety, focusing instead on its failures.
From a bottom-line standpoint, the NFL has already faced numerous lawsuits over concussions and CTE. Films like Concussed could reignite these legal battles or encourage more former players to seek compensation.
Should the NFL be worried?
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