Congress Prepares Concussion Probe for 2016

— -- A Congressional committee has announced plans to conduct a “broad review” of concussions in 2016, bringing Congress into the public health debate around football and brain injury.

The chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee said Tuesday the review would be conducted by three of his panel's subcommittees, and would bring together medical, military and sports professionals for a comprehensive study of the short- and long-term effects of head trauma.

"We often hear about concussions in the context of service members and athletes, but this problem goes well beyond the battlefield and the gridiron. It’s a matter of public health as these injuries are prevalent in all ages and across the population,” Chairman Fred Upton, R-Michigan, wrote in a statement.

The announcement comes days before the release of "Concussion," a new film starring Will Smith about one doctor's fight to highlight his research into football-related brain damage.