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Director Tony Vainuku has signed with M88.
Vainuku became an Emmy award-winning director in 2017 for his feature-length documentary In Football We Trust. The cautionary sports doc, which bowed at Sundance, focused on the impact that football has on the emerging Polynesian community in the United States.
The Polynesian-American filmmaker also directed the two-part finale for Netflix’s Untold documentary series executive produced by the Way Brothers and set for a release next month. The finale chronicles the catfishing hoax that led to Heisman trophy finalist Manti Te’o’s fall from stardom.
Vainuku is also directing the docuseries American Gladiators with Campfire Films, and will helm and showrun a docuseries for Scott Budnick’s One Community.
In addition, he is developing a narrative series based on the life of Junior Seau. The life of the Samoan NFL star from Oceanside, California came to a...
Director Tony Vainuku has signed with M88.
Vainuku became an Emmy award-winning director in 2017 for his feature-length documentary In Football We Trust. The cautionary sports doc, which bowed at Sundance, focused on the impact that football has on the emerging Polynesian community in the United States.
The Polynesian-American filmmaker also directed the two-part finale for Netflix’s Untold documentary series executive produced by the Way Brothers and set for a release next month. The finale chronicles the catfishing hoax that led to Heisman trophy finalist Manti Te’o’s fall from stardom.
Vainuku is also directing the docuseries American Gladiators with Campfire Films, and will helm and showrun a docuseries for Scott Budnick’s One Community.
In addition, he is developing a narrative series based on the life of Junior Seau. The life of the Samoan NFL star from Oceanside, California came to a...
- 7/15/2022
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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Live sports are a major part of a well-rounded entertainment diet, and whether you return to arenas this year or play it safe at home, you can watch baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer, tennis, college football, and pretty much every other nationally broadcast sport on ESPN+.
Not signed up? A subscription to ESPN+ comes with access to live sports and archival games, sure, but more importantly, the sports network’s trove of deeply fascinating “30 for 30” documentaries. Each film meticulously examines an event, a season, a star, or even a single play in an enlightening 90-minute package that’s engrossing for die-hard sports fans and disinterested novices alike.
You can access the entire archive of...
Live sports are a major part of a well-rounded entertainment diet, and whether you return to arenas this year or play it safe at home, you can watch baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer, tennis, college football, and pretty much every other nationally broadcast sport on ESPN+.
Not signed up? A subscription to ESPN+ comes with access to live sports and archival games, sure, but more importantly, the sports network’s trove of deeply fascinating “30 for 30” documentaries. Each film meticulously examines an event, a season, a star, or even a single play in an enlightening 90-minute package that’s engrossing for die-hard sports fans and disinterested novices alike.
You can access the entire archive of...
- 7/16/2021
- by Jean Bentley and Latifah Muhammad
- Indiewire
In the beginning of the end for Ernest Hemingway, as a 1954 trip to Africa is called in the new PBS documentary “Hemingway,” the great American novelist breaks his skull for the second time in his life during a plane crash in the outback.
Trapped as flames spread to the cabin, Hemingway is forced to use his head as a battering ram to create an opening in the twisted metal of the plane’s wreckage.
It’s the last of at least five major concussive head injuries that Hemingway sustained throughout his adult life and punctuates a growing problem. This time, his symptoms include slurred speech, double-vision and recurring deafness.
The Ken Burns documentary on Hemingway features two themes — his fascination with shotguns and his many concussions — that foreshadow what’s to come. Hemingway was long assumed to have suffered from a mental illness such as biploar depression, exacerbated by his...
Trapped as flames spread to the cabin, Hemingway is forced to use his head as a battering ram to create an opening in the twisted metal of the plane’s wreckage.
It’s the last of at least five major concussive head injuries that Hemingway sustained throughout his adult life and punctuates a growing problem. This time, his symptoms include slurred speech, double-vision and recurring deafness.
The Ken Burns documentary on Hemingway features two themes — his fascination with shotguns and his many concussions — that foreshadow what’s to come. Hemingway was long assumed to have suffered from a mental illness such as biploar depression, exacerbated by his...
- 4/10/2021
- by Jeremy Bailey
- The Wrap
When it comes to the NFL a lot of people have been talking nonstop for a couple of years if not longer now. The talk has ranged from where the ratings are going to the safety of the players to the conduct overall of both players and the owners. But in terms of ESPN’s 30 for 30 one of the most tragic and notable cases for review is that of Junior Seau. As many of the older fans know he was one of the most passionate players to ever don a uniform and perform in front thousands upon thousands of
Why You Should Watch The Junior Seau 30 for 30 on ESPN...
Why You Should Watch The Junior Seau 30 for 30 on ESPN...
- 4/22/2019
- by Tom
- TVovermind.com
Watching a documentary about Junior Seau was never going to be an objective experience for me.
On long car rides to visit my grandparents in Oceanside, CA, I would bring along years of Chargers media guides, replete with decades of records, statistics, and game results I would try committing to memory as if they were holy texts. In the mid-’90s, the same defensive megastar would grace those covers year after year. It’s the same man, captured in his signature celebration pose, whose No. 55 jersey I would wear one Halloween as a scrawny grade-schooler posing as an NFL great. Wearing that plastic helmet would be the closest I’d come to playing football myself, but to this day, at the bottom of a dresser drawer, I still have a 1995 Afc Championship shirt. Guess who’s the only player on it.
“Seau,” the latest film under the ESPN “30 for 30” doc...
On long car rides to visit my grandparents in Oceanside, CA, I would bring along years of Chargers media guides, replete with decades of records, statistics, and game results I would try committing to memory as if they were holy texts. In the mid-’90s, the same defensive megastar would grace those covers year after year. It’s the same man, captured in his signature celebration pose, whose No. 55 jersey I would wear one Halloween as a scrawny grade-schooler posing as an NFL great. Wearing that plastic helmet would be the closest I’d come to playing football myself, but to this day, at the bottom of a dresser drawer, I still have a 1995 Afc Championship shirt. Guess who’s the only player on it.
“Seau,” the latest film under the ESPN “30 for 30” doc...
- 9/21/2018
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
The tragic story of NFL favorite Junior Seau will be the first documentary from the new slate of 30 for 30 projects from ESPN Films, The Hollywood Reporter has exclusively learned.
Director Kirby Bradley (Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel) spent extensive time with the family of the beloved San Diego Charger to capture a portrait of the Hall of Famer who, after his 2012 suicide at the age of 43, was found to have suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy. In recent years, there have been increased calls for the league to take seriously the link between Cte, which is believed to ...
Director Kirby Bradley (Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel) spent extensive time with the family of the beloved San Diego Charger to capture a portrait of the Hall of Famer who, after his 2012 suicide at the age of 43, was found to have suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy. In recent years, there have been increased calls for the league to take seriously the link between Cte, which is believed to ...
- 9/13/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Ladainian Tomlinson has Zero sympathy for Broncos players who got wack haircuts this week ... 'cause back when he was a rookie -- he was hazed to the tune of a near $20,000 dinner check!! We got the legendary Charger out at Lax when he told us the Denver hazing story doesn't even compare to what he went through as a first-year player in 2001. "The late Junior Seau and the veterans hazed me by taking me to...
- 8/19/2018
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Lawyers for Aaron Hernandez have refiled a lawsuit against the NFL and its former helmet manufacturer, claiming that the 27-year-old former football player “had a horrendous existence” as a result of a result of severe chronic traumatic encephalopathy (Cte), a degenerative brain disease that has been linked to head trauma.
In the complaint obtained by People, Hernandez’s estate maintains that the former New England Patriot sustained multiple blows to the head while wearing Riddell helmets. As a result, the estate says, he suffered from Stage 3 Cte — a rarity in football players his age.
“Aaron experienced a chaotic and horrendous existence in many respects,...
In the complaint obtained by People, Hernandez’s estate maintains that the former New England Patriot sustained multiple blows to the head while wearing Riddell helmets. As a result, the estate says, he suffered from Stage 3 Cte — a rarity in football players his age.
“Aaron experienced a chaotic and horrendous existence in many respects,...
- 10/19/2017
- by Steve Helling
- PEOPLE.com
Before Aaron Hernandez committed suicide in in jail last April, his brain had already begun to deteriorate significantly — a result of severe chronic traumatic encephalopathy (Cte), a degenerative brain disease that has been linked to head trauma.
According to a statement from Boston University’s Cte Center, the 27-year-old former football player “had early brain atrophy and large perforations in the septum pellucidum, a central membrane.”
In other words, his brain had started to shrink and there were holes in the membrane that divides the two cerebral hemispheres.
Boston University determined that Hernandez’s Stage 3 Cte was unusually severe for a 27-year-old.
According to a statement from Boston University’s Cte Center, the 27-year-old former football player “had early brain atrophy and large perforations in the septum pellucidum, a central membrane.”
In other words, his brain had started to shrink and there were holes in the membrane that divides the two cerebral hemispheres.
Boston University determined that Hernandez’s Stage 3 Cte was unusually severe for a 27-year-old.
- 9/22/2017
- by Steve Helling
- PEOPLE.com
In an announcement today by his family’s attorney, Aaron Hernandez was added to the growing list of athletes who have been diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or Cte.
The degenerative brain disease is linked to repeated head trauma or concussions. Its symptoms depression, short-term memory loss, impulsive behavior and confusion — and these symptoms can begin to appear long after a player’s career. Evidence is mounting suggesting a link between playing football and the disease.
Cte can only be diagnosed after death, and in a recent study of the brains of 111 deceased NFL players, a Boston University researcher found...
The degenerative brain disease is linked to repeated head trauma or concussions. Its symptoms depression, short-term memory loss, impulsive behavior and confusion — and these symptoms can begin to appear long after a player’s career. Evidence is mounting suggesting a link between playing football and the disease.
Cte can only be diagnosed after death, and in a recent study of the brains of 111 deceased NFL players, a Boston University researcher found...
- 9/21/2017
- by Jason Duaine Hahn
- PEOPLE.com
Aaron Hernandez suffered a traumatic brain injury playing football, and his family will file a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the NFL and the New England Patriots, his attorney tells People.
After the 27-year-old committed suicide in prison on April 19 while serving a life sentence for murder, authorities performed an autopsy and released his brain to Boston University’s Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center. Researchers at the university have been studying traumatic brain injuries and their link to football.
Now, attorney Jose Baez tells People the results show Hernandez suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (Cte), a degenerative brain disease that has been linked to head trauma.
After the 27-year-old committed suicide in prison on April 19 while serving a life sentence for murder, authorities performed an autopsy and released his brain to Boston University’s Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center. Researchers at the university have been studying traumatic brain injuries and their link to football.
Now, attorney Jose Baez tells People the results show Hernandez suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (Cte), a degenerative brain disease that has been linked to head trauma.
- 9/21/2017
- by Steve Helling
- PEOPLE.com
The brain of Aaron Hernandez will be donated to an academic center that studies traumatic brain injuries and their link to football, People confirms.
Earlier this week, authorities performed an autopsy on the former NFL star who committed suicide in prison on Tuesday. According to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Massachusetts, Hernandez’s body was released on Wednesday, but his brain was withheld until investigators could determine how the 27-year-old died.
“Now that the cause and manner of death have been determined, the brain will be released to Boston University’s Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center as Mr.
Earlier this week, authorities performed an autopsy on the former NFL star who committed suicide in prison on Tuesday. According to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Massachusetts, Hernandez’s body was released on Wednesday, but his brain was withheld until investigators could determine how the 27-year-old died.
“Now that the cause and manner of death have been determined, the brain will be released to Boston University’s Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center as Mr.
- 4/21/2017
- by Steve Helling
- PEOPLE.com
Junior Seau's sister says she doesn't want to see Wes Welker end up suffering from Cte like her brother -- and is advising the wide receiver to seriously reconsider his NFL comeback. Welker has been out of football since last year -- and it seemed like his NFL career was over ... especially with his storied concussion history. But now that he's signed with the Rams, Annette Seau tells TMZ Sports she's "fearful for him.
- 11/15/2015
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Terrell Owens is pissed that Junior Seau's family won't be able to speak live at the NFL legend's Hall of Fame induction ceremony ... saying the whole thing is "terrible." Seau is set to be posthumously enshrined in Canton in August -- and while the family will be able to make a video message to be played during the ceremony, they're pissed ... claiming they should be able to give a live speech. And when we...
- 7/27/2015
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Sony Pictures announced today that it has scheduled the Will Smith drama Concussion for a Christmas Day release. The film is opening at a prime time, not only because of the holiday movie season but also just as the NFL will be preparing for the playoffs. Concussion follows Dr. Bennet Omalu, the forensic neuropathologist who made the first discovery of football-related brain trauma in a pro player and fought to bring awareness to the public. In his search for the truth, Omalu, a total outsider to pro football, takes on the sports industry’s status quo. His studies on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (Cte), prompted the NFL to take brain-related injuries seriously. Cte was cited in the suicides of former NFL stars Junior Seau and Dave Duerson. Deadline announced Smith’s attachment to the film back in June.
Written and directed by Peter Landesman (Parkland), Concussion is based on the GQ...
Written and directed by Peter Landesman (Parkland), Concussion is based on the GQ...
- 1/28/2015
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline
• Game of Thrones' James Cosmo has signed on for Tomorrow. Martin Scorsese is executive producing the military drama. Cosmo joins previously announced cast members Stephen Fry, Stephanie Leonidas, Sebastian Street, Stuart Brennan, Sophie Kennedy Clark, Paul Kaye, and Joss Stone. Martha Pinson, Scorsese's long-time script supervisor, will make her feature directorial debut with the film, which follows the lives of soldiers trying to re-immerse themselves into society. Street and Brennan wrote the script. They are producing alongside Dean M. Woodford. Emma Tillinger Koskoff is executive producing with Scorsese. [Variety] • Patrick Fischler, David Krumholtz, Fisher Stevens, and Clancy Brown have been cast in Hail,...
- 10/18/2014
- by C. Molly Smith
- EW - Inside Movies
Green Room
"Fright Night" stars Anton Yelchin and Imogen Poots are reteaming to star in "Blue Ruin" director Jeremy Saulnier's indie thriller "Green Room" for Broad Green Pictures. Alia Shawkat, Callum Turner, Joe Cole, Macon Blair and Mark Webber also star in the film which shoots in Portland later this month.
The story centers on a punk band who witnesses a murder at one of their shows in a middle-of-nowhere venue. They find themselves locked in the green room and targeted for death by a gang of racist skinheads. Poots plays a skinhead who joins forces with the band. [Source: Heat Vision]
Noodle Man
Donnie Yen ("IP Man") has signed on to star in Daming Chen's English-language action feature "Noodle Man". Michael Shamberg will produce.
Yen will play an ex-cop from China who has given up on himself after a botched mission 15 years earlier killed his partner. He finds a new...
"Fright Night" stars Anton Yelchin and Imogen Poots are reteaming to star in "Blue Ruin" director Jeremy Saulnier's indie thriller "Green Room" for Broad Green Pictures. Alia Shawkat, Callum Turner, Joe Cole, Macon Blair and Mark Webber also star in the film which shoots in Portland later this month.
The story centers on a punk band who witnesses a murder at one of their shows in a middle-of-nowhere venue. They find themselves locked in the green room and targeted for death by a gang of racist skinheads. Poots plays a skinhead who joins forces with the band. [Source: Heat Vision]
Noodle Man
Donnie Yen ("IP Man") has signed on to star in Daming Chen's English-language action feature "Noodle Man". Michael Shamberg will produce.
Yen will play an ex-cop from China who has given up on himself after a botched mission 15 years earlier killed his partner. He finds a new...
- 10/17/2014
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Exclusive: Grimm star Bitsie Tulloch is the latest to board Sony’s untitled NFL concussion film, starring Will Smith as a neuropathologist investigating the long-term effects of head trauma suffered by pro-footballers. Tulloch, a series regular on NBC’s supernatural drama Grimm, will play Keana Strzelczyk, the wife of a former NFL player. Peter Landesman wrote and is directing the NFL pic based on Jeanne Marie Laskas’s GQ article “Game Brain” which exposed the discovery of Cte, the concussion syndrome that contributed to the suicides of former NFL superstars like Dave Duerson and Junior Seau.
Ridley Scott, Giannina Facio, David Wolthoff, Larry Shuman, and Elizabeth Cantillon are producing the film which starts production in a few weeks. Michael Schaefer and David Crockett are executive producers. Tulloch most recently appeared on the big screen in Landesman’s directorial debut Parkland opposite Paul Giamatti. Her feature credits include a starring role in indie Caroline & Jackie,...
Ridley Scott, Giannina Facio, David Wolthoff, Larry Shuman, and Elizabeth Cantillon are producing the film which starts production in a few weeks. Michael Schaefer and David Crockett are executive producers. Tulloch most recently appeared on the big screen in Landesman’s directorial debut Parkland opposite Paul Giamatti. Her feature credits include a starring role in indie Caroline & Jackie,...
- 10/16/2014
- by Jen Yamato
- Deadline
One year after Kansas City Chief's linebacker Jovan Belcher murdered his 22-year-old girlfriend before turning a gun on himself at his football team's training facility, his family believes they may have answers in the horrific, violent murder-suicide. An autopsy of the former NFL star's brain showed signs of a degenerative brain disease known as Cte, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, according to a report from Dr. Piotr Kozlowski, dean of research and professor of pathology at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in New York City, obtained by Espn's Outside the Lines. According to experts who study Cte, the disease is progressive...
- 10/2/2014
- by Michael Miller
- PEOPLE.com
With the NFL making headlines this week in all the wrong ways, Roger Goodell is probably none too happy to hear that an untitled, Ridley Scott-produced drama about football concussions is moving forward. Recently, Drive actor Albert Brooks joined the film, which is already set to star Will Smith and Alec Baldwin. Additionally, Belle actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who has never been hotter thanks to an acclaimed turn in Beyond the Lights, is in talks for a major role in the project, though specifics on her part have not been revealed.
Brooks, who will next appear in the buzzy J.C. Chandor period drama A Most Violent Year, is set to portray Cyril Wecht. As per Deadline, Wecht is the “chief forensic pathologist who mentors forensic neuropathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu (Smith) and encourages him to press his discovery of Cte, the concussion syndrome that has been fatal in contributing to the...
Brooks, who will next appear in the buzzy J.C. Chandor period drama A Most Violent Year, is set to portray Cyril Wecht. As per Deadline, Wecht is the “chief forensic pathologist who mentors forensic neuropathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu (Smith) and encourages him to press his discovery of Cte, the concussion syndrome that has been fatal in contributing to the...
- 9/15/2014
- by Isaac Feldberg
- We Got This Covered
Update: The studio is now in talks to add Gugu Mbatha-Raw to the concussion cast, as she is getting strong notices in Toronto for Beyond The Lights.
Sony Pictures is setting Albert Brooks to join the untitled project on football concussions that so far stars Will Smith and Alec Baldwin. Parkland’s Peter Landesman is writing and directing, based on the GQ article Game Brain that Ridley Scott and Giannina Facio set up to produce at the studio, along with Shuman Company’s David Wolthoff and Larry Shuman.
Brooks will play Cyril Wecht, the chief forensic pathologist who mentors forensic neuropathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu (Smith) and encourages him to press his discovery of Cte, the concussion syndrome that has been fatal in contributing to the suicides of former NFL superstars Dave Duerson and Junior Seau. The NFL fought this tooth and nail, but ultimately reached a $765 million settlement in the...
Sony Pictures is setting Albert Brooks to join the untitled project on football concussions that so far stars Will Smith and Alec Baldwin. Parkland’s Peter Landesman is writing and directing, based on the GQ article Game Brain that Ridley Scott and Giannina Facio set up to produce at the studio, along with Shuman Company’s David Wolthoff and Larry Shuman.
Brooks will play Cyril Wecht, the chief forensic pathologist who mentors forensic neuropathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu (Smith) and encourages him to press his discovery of Cte, the concussion syndrome that has been fatal in contributing to the suicides of former NFL superstars Dave Duerson and Junior Seau. The NFL fought this tooth and nail, but ultimately reached a $765 million settlement in the...
- 9/9/2014
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline
When a slot suddenly opens up in the schedule of mega star Will Smith, it is pretty big news in Tinseltown. Now that the actor has exited Julius Onah’s Brilliance, his schedule window may soon be filled with the upcoming, untitled drama being produced by Ridley Scott – exploring the issue of brain trauma in American Football.
It all starts with Sony, who have the rights to a GQ article titled ‘Brain Game,’ written by Jeanne Marie Laskas. Passionate about the subject, Ridley Scott originally intended to direct the film, but will now stick to producing it, with Peter Landesman (Parkland) attached as writer and director. Scott has been developing the project along with his producing partner, Giannina Facio, and with Landesman having completed the script, cameras look set to roll before the end of the year.
Intended as a ‘whistleblower’ type of story, the project follows Dr. Bennet Omalu...
It all starts with Sony, who have the rights to a GQ article titled ‘Brain Game,’ written by Jeanne Marie Laskas. Passionate about the subject, Ridley Scott originally intended to direct the film, but will now stick to producing it, with Peter Landesman (Parkland) attached as writer and director. Scott has been developing the project along with his producing partner, Giannina Facio, and with Landesman having completed the script, cameras look set to roll before the end of the year.
Intended as a ‘whistleblower’ type of story, the project follows Dr. Bennet Omalu...
- 6/4/2014
- by Sarah Myles
- We Got This Covered
Will Smith may be tackling a hot-button issue with his next film. Less than a week after exiting the Legendary sci-fi film "Brilliance" that was to co-star "Prometheus" actress Noomi Rapace, the actor is reportedly circling Ridley Scott's untitled football concussion movie inspired by the GQ article "Game Brain" by Jeanne Marie Laskas. Scott was once looking to direct the Sony film before handing the reins over to Peter Landesman ("Parkland"), who also penned the script. Published in 2009, "Game Brain" focused on the mounting scientific evidence that concussions suffered by players on the gridiron could result in severe brain trauma leading to chronic depression, memory loss and suicide. According to Deadline, Smith would play the role of Dr. Bennet Omalu, a forensic pathologist and neuropathologist who in 2002 discovered a degenerative condition known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (Cte) in the brains of several recently-deceased NFL players - a condition later...
- 6/3/2014
- by Chris Eggertsen
- Hitfix
Now that Will Smith has stepped off the pic Brilliance, the whole town is after him. I’m hearing he has aligned himself to that football concussions project that Ridley Scott and Giannina Facio have been developing. The pic, still untitled and inspired by the GQ article “Game Brain,” is at Sony, and Peter Landesman wrote the script and will direct. He made his helming debut on the JFK pic Parkland. Back when Deadline broke the story, Scott was looking to direct the concussions movie project after his massive Moses movie Exodus with Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton. Scott moved over and now will produce with Facio, along with Shuman Company’s David Wolfhoff and Larry Shuman. Landesman has completed the script, and the plan is to shoot this fall. Smith will play Dr. Bennet Omalu, the forensic neuropathologist who was a total outsider and made the first discovery of Cte,...
- 6/3/2014
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline
As I write this, the Super Bowl Xlviii kick-off is still 36 minutes away.
I’ve been thinking a lot about football the last couple of weeks. It’s a showdown between the best offensive team, the Afc Denver Broncos, led by Peyton Manning, who has had what may be the greatest quarterback season ever while breaking numerous statistical records, and the Nfc Seattle Seahawks, whose cornerback Russell Wilson is the *ahem* cornerstone of the best defensive team of the 2013 season.
It’s also the first Super Bowl in which the physical dangers and complications of the sport on its players have been as discussed and picked over as much as any debate about the game and who is going to win.
This season also saw the NFL going over the top in its security efforts, this year dictating what size pocketbook a woman may carry into an arena – and also...
I’ve been thinking a lot about football the last couple of weeks. It’s a showdown between the best offensive team, the Afc Denver Broncos, led by Peyton Manning, who has had what may be the greatest quarterback season ever while breaking numerous statistical records, and the Nfc Seattle Seahawks, whose cornerback Russell Wilson is the *ahem* cornerstone of the best defensive team of the 2013 season.
It’s also the first Super Bowl in which the physical dangers and complications of the sport on its players have been as discussed and picked over as much as any debate about the game and who is going to win.
This season also saw the NFL going over the top in its security efforts, this year dictating what size pocketbook a woman may carry into an arena – and also...
- 2/3/2014
- by Mindy Newell
- Comicmix.com
While Ridley Scott is preparing to shoot his epic, biblical Moses movie, Exodus, with Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton, he's got another film he's looking to develop. The movie would focus on the deadly effects of concussions in football players.
The news comes from Deadline, which explains, "Scott wants to create a drama focusing on the debilitating effects that concussions are having on our sports heroes, and the role that league owners play in allowing it to happen. His plan is to create a morality tale on that issue, much the way that Michael Mann’s The Insider took on the tobacco industry’s complicity in covering up the addictive and cancer-causing effects of cigarette smoking. "
If it all comes together this would be Scott's next film after Exodus. According to the report the reason that Scott wants to make the film is because "he has been moved reading all...
The news comes from Deadline, which explains, "Scott wants to create a drama focusing on the debilitating effects that concussions are having on our sports heroes, and the role that league owners play in allowing it to happen. His plan is to create a morality tale on that issue, much the way that Michael Mann’s The Insider took on the tobacco industry’s complicity in covering up the addictive and cancer-causing effects of cigarette smoking. "
If it all comes together this would be Scott's next film after Exodus. According to the report the reason that Scott wants to make the film is because "he has been moved reading all...
- 11/8/2013
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
If you.re a fan of pro football, or of sports in general, you.ve probably heard your fair share about how big a problem concussions and other head injuries have become. They.ve always been an issue, really, but it.s only in recent years the long-term effects on retired players have come under scrutiny, and the lawsuits have followed. The subject is ripe for cinematic exploration, and none other than Ridley Scott is quite interested in tackling the subject for an upcoming feature. Scott, whose most recent film The Counselor is currently underwhelming audiences and critics, is reported to be quite the football fan, according to Deadline. He hasn.t taken lightly to stories over the years of players such as Junior Seau and Dave Duerson experiencing health problems so severe that suicide was their preferred answer, leaving their brains to science to study the overall impact that...
- 11/8/2013
- cinemablend.com
Exclusive: While Ridley Scott is taking on the massive Moses movie Exodus with Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton, he and producing partner Giannina Facio have been meeting with A-list writers for what he hopes will be the next film he directs. Scott wants to create a drama focusing on the debilitating effects that concussions are having on our sports heroes, and the role that league owners play in allowing it to happen. His plan is to create a morality tale on that issue, much the way that Michael Mann’s The Insider took on the tobacco industry’s complicity in covering up the addictive and cancer-causing effects of cigarette smoking. It sounds like a most worthy project to me. Scott is a big fan of sports including rugby and football, but he is going to focus on pro football. He has been moved reading all that has been written on...
- 11/7/2013
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline
Frontline, the long-running documentary television series on PBS, has a program airing in October called "League of Denial: The NFL's Concussion Crisis," which asks the question, "What did the NFL know and when did they know it in regards to concussions and long-term effects on players?"
NFL hall-of-fame linebacker Harry Carson (pictured) says that concussions were just a part of the game when he played, because back then, nobody knew about the long-term effects.
"That's the way that we played the game. Nobody knew anything about concussions and certainly nobody knew anything about the lingering effects of concussions down the road," says Carson. "It was about playing hard, playing for your teammates, trying to save your job and winning games."
But he adds, "When I look at the various film clips, it was there in plain sight for everybody to see. ... Nobody knew anything back then, but everybody knows a whole lot more now.
NFL hall-of-fame linebacker Harry Carson (pictured) says that concussions were just a part of the game when he played, because back then, nobody knew about the long-term effects.
"That's the way that we played the game. Nobody knew anything about concussions and certainly nobody knew anything about the lingering effects of concussions down the road," says Carson. "It was about playing hard, playing for your teammates, trying to save your job and winning games."
But he adds, "When I look at the various film clips, it was there in plain sight for everybody to see. ... Nobody knew anything back then, but everybody knows a whole lot more now.
- 8/6/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
Exclusive: Attention on the long-term brain damage suffered by contact sports stars has primarily fallen on pro football because of the tragic suicides of superstars like Junior Seau and Dave Duerson, both of whom left behind their brains for study on how on-field collisions made retirement life too much to bear. But the problem reaches other sports, including hockey, and Focus Features and Peter Berg are tackling the issue by focusing on renowned enforcer Derek Boogaard. A shy, oversized player who learned to use his fists to make it to the National Hockey League, Boogaard became hooked on painkillers from years of damage, and was found dead at age 28 after mixing prescription drugs with booze. Focus has made a deal with The New York Times for an eye-opening series of articles by John Branch entitled Punched Out: The Life And Death Of A Hockey Enforcer. Berg and Film 44 partner Sarah Aubrey are producing,...
- 4/26/2013
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline
Long-term brain damage remains a serious issue among NFL players ... and the league still has Lots of work to do in order to fix it ... so says New Orleans Saints Qb Drew Brees.Brees said, "I think it's a major issue. It's something that we need to continue to put research [into] and treatment protocols at the forefront to try to find ways to treat guys that have those long-term head and neck injuries when they leave this game.
- 2/28/2013
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Minnesota Vikings star Adrian Peterson -- aka Purple Jesus ... aka one of the greatest running backs of all time -- says he'll Never Let His Son Play Football!!!Peterson was out in Houston last week for All-Star Weekend -- carrying his young son -- when he said, "This is Adrian Jr. He won't be playing football."There are a million possible reasons for why a dad wouldn't let his son play football -- but coming...
- 2/23/2013
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
No, this is not a column about that. Get your minds out of the gutter, people!
I was working in the Special Projects department at Marvel Comics as an assistant editor when my boss, Executive Editor Bob Budiansky, called me into his office.
“I have something for you that will be absolutely perfect,” he said, “because you’re the only one in the department who will really appreciate it. I talked about it with Tom (DeFalco) and he agrees with me.”
“Okay,” I said, a bit apprehensive and yes, curious.
“The NFL approached us about doing a magazine aimed at kids who love football.”
“Okay,” I said, getting excited.
“It’s going to be like Sports Illustrated For Kids, only concentrating on football, of course.”
“Okay,” I said, trying stay dignified and professional.
“Each issue will also feature a full comic, plus news, articles and tidbits about Marvel.” “Okay,” I said,...
I was working in the Special Projects department at Marvel Comics as an assistant editor when my boss, Executive Editor Bob Budiansky, called me into his office.
“I have something for you that will be absolutely perfect,” he said, “because you’re the only one in the department who will really appreciate it. I talked about it with Tom (DeFalco) and he agrees with me.”
“Okay,” I said, a bit apprehensive and yes, curious.
“The NFL approached us about doing a magazine aimed at kids who love football.”
“Okay,” I said, getting excited.
“It’s going to be like Sports Illustrated For Kids, only concentrating on football, of course.”
“Okay,” I said, trying stay dignified and professional.
“Each issue will also feature a full comic, plus news, articles and tidbits about Marvel.” “Okay,” I said,...
- 2/4/2013
- by Mindy Newell
- Comicmix.com
The family of the late Junior Seau has filed a lawsuit against the NFL, claiming that the league hid information about the true medical dangers of repetitive hits to the head. Among others named in the lawsuit is Riddell, the company that manufactures helmets for NFL players.
According to the New York Times, the suit claims that the NFL "failed to disseminate to then-current and former NFL players health information it possessed" concerning the risks that are associated with brain trauma. Seau's family, who filed the suit in San Diego, Ca., is asking for an undisclosed amount.
Junior Seau shot himself in the chest in May at age 43. The former linebacker played for the San Diego Chargers, New England Patriots, and Miami Dolphins.
Testing done on brain tissue samples showed that Seau suffered from a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated hits to the head. Currently there are over 4,000 former NFL players,...
According to the New York Times, the suit claims that the NFL "failed to disseminate to then-current and former NFL players health information it possessed" concerning the risks that are associated with brain trauma. Seau's family, who filed the suit in San Diego, Ca., is asking for an undisclosed amount.
Junior Seau shot himself in the chest in May at age 43. The former linebacker played for the San Diego Chargers, New England Patriots, and Miami Dolphins.
Testing done on brain tissue samples showed that Seau suffered from a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated hits to the head. Currently there are over 4,000 former NFL players,...
- 1/23/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Junior Seau's family has filed a lawsuit against the NFL over brain injuries the Chargers legend sustained during his career -- injuries they claim caused him to kill himself.The family filed the wrongful death lawsuit today in San Diego, claiming the league willfully hid the truth about the dangers of repetitive blows to the head ... such as those regularly sustained by professional football players.According to the lawsuit, Seau suffered from chronic traumatic...
- 1/23/2013
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Bernie Kosar believes a higher power is controlling his brain trauma treatments. The former Cleveland Browns quarterback says damage caused by multiple concussions during his NFL career is being reversed.
"Not to get over-religious or to preach to you, but this was all happening during the holidays and I really thought it was like a gift from God," says Kosar.
The Los Angeles Times reports Kosar suffered around 12 concussions between 1985 and 1996. He is now receiving IV fluids and taking nutritional supplements aimed at increasing blood flow to the brain.
"When I heard some of the things he was capable of doing I was bluntly a little skeptical," Kosar says. "But after just a few weeks of treatment to not have the ringing in the ears, not have the headaches and to be able to sleep through the night without medications and all the stuff."
Kosar says he is speaking to...
"Not to get over-religious or to preach to you, but this was all happening during the holidays and I really thought it was like a gift from God," says Kosar.
The Los Angeles Times reports Kosar suffered around 12 concussions between 1985 and 1996. He is now receiving IV fluids and taking nutritional supplements aimed at increasing blood flow to the brain.
"When I heard some of the things he was capable of doing I was bluntly a little skeptical," Kosar says. "But after just a few weeks of treatment to not have the ringing in the ears, not have the headaches and to be able to sleep through the night without medications and all the stuff."
Kosar says he is speaking to...
- 1/12/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Junior Seau was living with a degenerative brain disease caused by the brutal shots to the head he took during his NFL career, this according to a new study ... and Seau's family believes the condition drove him to suicide. The National Institutes of Health released the findings of the study scientists did on Seau's brain after he shot himself in the chest last year ... and concluded Junior suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (Cte), a degenerative...
- 1/10/2013
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
The San Diego Chargers honored the memory of Junior Seau today before their home opener against the Tennessee Titans and officially retired the NFL superstar's jersey -- No. 55. Seau's parents and children were down on the field during the emotional tribute -- which was officiated by legendary Chargers Qb Dan Fouts. Fouts said, "There is only one Junior Seau and only one 55 ... and they belong together forever.”Seau played 13 seasons with the Chargers and was selected for 12 Pro-bowl appearances.
- 9/16/2012
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
The San Diego Chargers will honor the memory of fallen NFL superstar Junior Seau during their home opener on Sunday Sept. 16 ... and TMZ has learned his entire family will be on hand to witness the ceremony. A rep for the Chargers tells us ... Junior's mother, father, ex-wife, 4 children and other family members will be the guests of honor during a pre-game ceremony dedicated to Seau ... the greatest Chargers linebacker of all-time. We're told the team...
- 9/6/2012
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
The suicides of former NFL players like and Junior Seau have brought the health risks of playing football into the realm of serious debate. How dangerous can playing the game be to one’s mental and physical health both in the short term and the long term? What role do concussions play in brain and psychological disorders? What really can be done to protect players at all levels from the dangers of an inherently violent game? And can football as we know it survive? As pro, college, high-school and youth football players take to fields this fall, Espn is devoting a [...]...
- 8/24/2012
- by Ryan Berenz
- ChannelGuideMag
Junior Seau was completely sober when he shot himself in the chest back in May ... and his cause of death has been ruled as a suicide ... this according to the San Diego medical examiner. TMZ obtained the autopsy report, filed by Deputy Medical Examiner Craig Nelson ... which shows Seau died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest from a .357 caliber revolver on May 2, 2012. The report also shows "No alcohol, common drugs of abuse, or other medications were detected.
- 8/20/2012
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
The San Diego house in which NFL legend Junior Seau killed himself has been put up for sale.The 2,200 sq. ft. beachfront property was listed yesterday for $2.3 million. It has 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms.The realtor tells TMZ, he plans to sell the house before the end of summer -- and Will be informing prospective buyers about the famous suicide that took place inside the home on May 3rd.Seau originally purchased the place back in 2005 for a little over $3 million.
- 7/25/2012
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Tragic American football star Junior Seau has been laid to rest in San Diego, California.
The sportsman was found unconscious in his Oceanside, California home on 2 May with a gunshot wound to the chest and his death was officially ruled a suicide.
A private remembrance service was held on Friday, when friends, family and former teammates gathered to pay their last respects to the late footballer.
His remains were buried in a San Diego cemetery.
Fans of Seau have been invited to attend a special public memorial on Friday evening at Qualcomm Stadium, the home of the San Diego Chargers, where the star played the bulk of his professional football.
The sportsman was found unconscious in his Oceanside, California home on 2 May with a gunshot wound to the chest and his death was officially ruled a suicide.
A private remembrance service was held on Friday, when friends, family and former teammates gathered to pay their last respects to the late footballer.
His remains were buried in a San Diego cemetery.
Fans of Seau have been invited to attend a special public memorial on Friday evening at Qualcomm Stadium, the home of the San Diego Chargers, where the star played the bulk of his professional football.
- 5/11/2012
- WENN
More than a week after his May 2 death, NFL legend Junior Seau was laid to rest in his native Oceanside, Ca.
Prior to the burial, members of Seau's family, friends, and former teammates including Ladainian Tomlinson and Marcellus Wiley attended his funeral at Calvary Chapel before escorting his body to Eternal Hills cemetery in Oceanside. A private viewing of Seau was held on Thursday.
Related: Stars React to Junior Seau's Death
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of fans gathered at Qualcomm Stadium for a public memorial service.
Earlier this month, Celebrities, fellow athletes and fans are mourned the loss of the NFL great. "Everyone at the Chargers is in complete shock and disbelief right now," read the official website of the San Diego Chargers." We ask everyone to stop what they're doing and send their prayers to Junior and his family." The team is currently displaying a photo of the late linebacker on their main page in...
Prior to the burial, members of Seau's family, friends, and former teammates including Ladainian Tomlinson and Marcellus Wiley attended his funeral at Calvary Chapel before escorting his body to Eternal Hills cemetery in Oceanside. A private viewing of Seau was held on Thursday.
Related: Stars React to Junior Seau's Death
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of fans gathered at Qualcomm Stadium for a public memorial service.
Earlier this month, Celebrities, fellow athletes and fans are mourned the loss of the NFL great. "Everyone at the Chargers is in complete shock and disbelief right now," read the official website of the San Diego Chargers." We ask everyone to stop what they're doing and send their prayers to Junior and his family." The team is currently displaying a photo of the late linebacker on their main page in...
- 5/11/2012
- Entertainment Tonight
Junior Seau's private memorial -- attended by close friends, family, and former teammates -- is now over ... and the NFL legend's casket is currently en route to a San Diego cemetery for burial.As we reported, the burial is scheduled for 1pm. A public memorial will take place later tonight at 6:30pm at Qualcomm Stadium, home of the Chargers.TMZ broke the story ... Junior was found dead in his California home on May...
- 5/11/2012
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
WWE star Bill Goldberg just showed up to Junior Seau's memorial in Oceanside, CA ... showing signs of encouragement.On his way in, Bill told us, "Nobody will ever understand the positive difference that Junior made to this community and the world."When Junior died, Bill tweeted he had played with the NFL legend in a charity golf tournament just the day before. Sad day....Played in a Charity Golf tournament yesterday with Junior and now he's gone.
- 5/11/2012
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Junior Seau was honored today when more than 1,000 people "paddled out" in the ocean to pay their respects to the NFL legend. The water-based memorial took place in Oceanside, CA this afternoon -- directly in front of his beachfront home -- and allowed friends, neighbors and locals to mourn the superstar together. Surfers were heard chanting his name and jersey number as they gathered in the ocean. Seau was known to be an avid surfer.
- 5/6/2012
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Junior Seau fell victim to a problem encountered by many former pro athletes -- post-career depression -- this according to former pro athlete-turned-actor Rick Fox.Fox tells TMZ, retiring from a professional sport leads to a massive shift in lifestyle -- from glorified hero to relative anonymity -- and for some players, the change is too tough to handle.Fox tells us, "At the end of the day [Junior] shot himself in the chest, which is the heart,...
- 5/5/2012
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Junior Seau's family met yesterday to begin planning a public memorial for the football legend ... TMZ has learned.Sources close to the Seaus tell TMZ, they want to give grieving fans the opportunity to honor his life and his career in the presence of each other. We're told the public memorial -- to be held somewhere in California -- will take place separate from the family's private Oceanside memorial, specifically to give fans the opportunity to mourn together.
- 5/5/2012
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Former All-Pro linebacker Junior Seau's brain will be donated to science, this according to the New York Times.
The San Diego Chargers team chaplain Shawn Mitchell tells the publication, "Junior was philanthropic...And he got that from his mom and dad. Their hope is that it can serve athletes down the road."
The 43-year-old Seau was found dead on Wednesday (May 2) at his Oceanside, Ca. home. The San Diego County medical examiner ruled that Seau died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest.
While it is uncertain where Seau's brain will be studied, the brains of 19 past N.F.L. players have been researched at Boston University's Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy. Of those 19, 18 were found to have C.T.E., a degenerative brain condition. ...
The San Diego Chargers team chaplain Shawn Mitchell tells the publication, "Junior was philanthropic...And he got that from his mom and dad. Their hope is that it can serve athletes down the road."
The 43-year-old Seau was found dead on Wednesday (May 2) at his Oceanside, Ca. home. The San Diego County medical examiner ruled that Seau died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest.
While it is uncertain where Seau's brain will be studied, the brains of 19 past N.F.L. players have been researched at Boston University's Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy. Of those 19, 18 were found to have C.T.E., a degenerative brain condition. ...
- 5/5/2012
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
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