Sports genre films and series are one of the most popular storytelling formats around the world right now. Over the years, we have seen a plethora of top Hollywood actors star in some of the most interesting sports films. Likewise, even Will Smith starred in the 2015 sports-drama film Concussion. Will Smith is a man of many credits. The Men In Black star has been featured in different films based on the sports genre. However, unlike most sports films that are usually based on the lives of athletes, Concussion was a little different.

The 2015 Will Smith starrer Concussion is centered around the deaths and dementia of various National Football League players, as a result of repeated injuries to their heads. Furthermore, the movie also focused on the NFL’s effort toward a cover-up. But did Sony Studios alter some scenes of the film to avoid legal problems with the NFL? Here is all you need to know.

Did Sony Studios alter the Will Smith starrer Concussion?

Concussion was one of the first films of its kind. To raise awareness of head injuries in the NFL, Sony Studios cast one of the leading men of Hollywood, Will Smith as the lead. While the point of the movie was to point out the problems, Sony studios did soften some harsh points that it made against the NFL, a multi-billion dollar sports franchise.

Hackers leaked various emails exchanged between Smith’s team, Sony executives, and the director, Peter Landesman. As per the emails, they discussed how they could avoid antagonizing the NFL. One of the emails by Dwight Caines, the president of domestic marketing at Sony Pictures wrote, “Will is not anti-football (nor is the movie) and isn’t planning to be a spokesman for what football should be or shouldn’t be.“

The email wrote how Smith was just an actor taking on exciting challenges rather than villainizing the football league. Furthermore, Caines wrote that the studio was in constant discussion with an NFL consultant to develop a dramatic story rather than kicking the hornet’s nest.

Concussion also features Gugu Mbatha-Raw and American actor Alec Baldwin. For all those who have not watched the film, be sure to check it out. Also, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.