Will Smith Thought 'Concussion' Was Going to Get People to Stop Watching Football

Will Smith thought 'Concussion' would have a "bigger impact" on football fans, but he was wrong.

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Before Concussion hit theaters late last year, Will Smith discussed at the Hollywood Film Awards how he was doubtful that his film would drum up controversy towards the NFL. "I don't think it's going to generate too much controversy [with the NFL]," Smith said. "There will be a little difficulty in swallowing it, as it was for me. I'm a football dad, you know." And, as he expected, the movie, which tells the story of Dr. Bennet Omalu, the forensic neuropathologist who discovered that former Pittsburgh Steelers center Mike Webster had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, didn't do much to shake up the league. But Concussion also failed at preventing its fans from tuning in every Sunday, which is where the actor thought the film would make a "bigger impact." 

“I thought Concussion would have a bigger impact. I knew it would be hard because people love the game, but the science is so overwhelming, and it’s something that we really need to take a look at,” Smith toldVanity Fair in an interview published Tuesday. “I thought that people would get behind the mission of that. I was surprised that people were absolutely like, “Nope, I’m not stopping watching football, so I don’t want to know.”

No matter how violent and potentially dangerous the sport of football is, Concussion was never going to prevent fans from watching. Sure, the games can be difficult to watch sometimes, but boxing, MMA, and even hockey are tough on the eyes as well. As a country, we love us some violence, and one movie isn't going to change our perspective. Sorry Will, but it's the sad truth. 

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