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'Concussion' review: Will Smith battles NFL in film based on a true story

(Columbia Pictures)

In one of the most significant scenes in "Concussion," a doctor on the payroll of the NFL meets with Dr. Bennet Omalu (Will Smith), the neuropathologist who discovered chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, in the brains of former NFL players who died young.

Omalu, performing autopsies for the county coroner in Pittsburgh, came on CTE by accident when legendary Steelers center "Iron Mike" Webster ended up on his schedule. He wondered why Webster – and, later, other players -- had spiraled into mental illness, homelessness, chaos and desperation.

In the scene, Omalu wants the NFL to take responsibility for the long-term health of its players, whose job description includes sustaining hundreds of blows to their heads, and to make changes to ensure their safety.