Documentary sheds light on concussions in the NFL despite league pressures

The National Football League is big entertainment business, but the excitement on the field each Sunday comes at a risk to the athletes.

The NFL on Aug. 30 agreed to a $750 million settlement with more than 4,500 former players and their families over the long-lasting effects of head-injuries suffered by players.

During the 2011 NFL season, there was a more than 50 percent chance that at least one player would sustain a concussion during a given game. 

Many players who suffered concussions during their careers have  developed severe neurological problems, and accused the N.F.L. of concealing what it knew about the dangers of repeated concussions.

The terms of the agreement state, however, that the settlement is not to be regarded as an admission of guilt by the League.

The agreement came together right as brothers Steve Fainaru and Mark Fainaru, two investigative reporters for ESPN, were finishing a book and FRONTLINE documentary. Both are titled “League of Denial.

The settlement represents an about-face for the NFL, which had previously denied players face a risk of brain injuries in every game.

“In many ways it’s a vindication for not only the journalists who’ve been reporting on it but particularly the players who’ve been fighting this battle for years now,” Steve Fainaru said.

Despite the settlement, many of the players behind the settlement remain skeptical of the NFL’s intentions. The league ignored player protests until they were embarrassed in front of Congress in 2010, Fainaru said. 

Pressure from journalists like the Fainaru brothers also played an important part in forcing the league to take action, but the interconnected nature of professional sports and sports entertainment television companies made things difficult.

ESPN, for example, has had a contract to air the NFL since 1994, though Fainaru said his employwer has been at the front of reporting on the concussion issue.ESPN, however, severed ties with FRONTLINE on this project weeks before “League of Denial” was set to air. A New York Times story suggested the NFL was unhappy with the documentary and pressured ESPN to quit the project.

“Any journalist would be disappointed by that, the insinuation that some sort of outside pressure may have been involved in the dissolution of a partnership that was by all accounts wildly successful,” Fainaru said. “The question has been ‘Will this affect our journalism in any way?’ and especially our journalism at ESPN.”

Fainaru maintains that ESPN’s departure will not change the journalistic integrity of his work.

“League of Denial” airs on PBS stations on Oct. 8.