In the latest sign that the story of brain injuries in the NFL is only getting bigger, ESPN has announced that it will devote a week of its investigative program Outside the Lines to examining concussions in the NFL from multiple angles.
In a series of shows it’s calling “The Concussion Crisis,” ESPN will dig deep into several issues related to concussions.
“The concussions issue has certainly been dominating the football conversation recently,” the show’s senior coordinating producer Dwayne Bray said in a statement. “With the lawsuits against the NFL and some recent suicides by former players, people have a lot of unanswered questions. With this five-part series, we’ve included new interviews and analysis along with some material we’ve aired previously. It’s our hope that this reporting helps ESPN’s audience understand this story a bit better.”
Among the stories being explored are the way concussions affected 1980s Bears teammates Dave Duerson and Jim McMahon, lawsuits filed by Jamaal Lewis and Dorsey Levens, the deaths of former players Andre Watters and Mike Webster, and what the future of football might look like. Outside the Lines airs at 3 p.m. Eastern, Monday through Friday on ESPN.