NFL Players Invited to Screening of 'Concussion' Before National Release
Sony is arranging private screenings in each team's city before it opens.
— -- The movie "Concussion" examines the devastating effects repeated head traumas can have on the brains of professional football players.
Sony Pictures Entertainment, the production company behind the film, has invited NFL players to see the movie free of charge during the film's run at Cinemark movie theaters.
Sony has also arranged private screenings in each team's city in advance of its Christmas Day opening.
"This is a movie for the players, so we wanted to give them a chance to see it before its nationwide release and free admission during its run in theaters," producers Ridley Scott and Giannina Scott said in a statement obtained by ABC News.
Dr. Betsy Nabel, the NFL's chief medical adviser, told "Good Morning America" that she believes the film will "have a positive impact on raising awareness about head injury. And I think it will make clear that the league has a very clear commitment to player health and safety."
"Concussion" stars Will Smith as Dr. Bennet Omalu, a forensic neuropathologist who discovered that multiple concussions can lead to chronic traumatic encephalopathy - commonly referred to as CTE.
"Will Smith gives one of the best performances of his career as Dr. Bennet Omalu, a man who shined a light on the truth," the producers said. "The odds were stacked against him, but he had the truth on his side, and now, his discovery is all anyone's talking about. We think the players will enjoy watching this movie about Dr. Omalu's incredible courage - courage that changed the game."