It's tough to talk about football without talking about concussions. Deep into the NFL season now, viewers continue to hear about these injuries on a near-weekly basis, as they regularly sideline stars and journeymen alike, regardless of position.
Lately, though, we've been hearing about the injury at movie theaters across the country, too. Concussion, a new film starring Will Smith, portrays the work of Dr. Bennet Omalu, the first person to publish research on chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a degenerative brain disease linked to the kind of repeated hits absorbed by NFL players.
Dr. Omalu has argued that kids shouldn't play football until their brains are fully developed — and that means holding off until they're at least 18 years old. But some doctors — including Dr. Omalu's own colleague — disagree. They say changes already made to youth football to reduce risk are sufficient.
This week on For the Record, NPR's Rachel Martin revisits a segment aired last year, which is still just as relevant today. Find the original segment, as it aired in August 2015, below.
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