If, as many believe, ESPN is in bed with the NFL, the four-letter network could be getting ready to serve the league a meal prepared in a dutch oven.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, ESPN has “accepted” commercials for the film Concussion, which its director recently called a “shot between the eyes of the NFL.” The commercials reportedly will begin airing “soon.”
Per the Hollywood Reporter, ESPN did not respond to a request for comment. Likewise, other networks did not immediately return requests for comment on whether commercials for the film would be televised.
Starring Will Smith, Concussions opens on Christmas Day, a curious spot on the calendar for enticing moviegoers who are surely looking for something a little more fast-paced and uplifting than a tale regarding the manner in which the NFL downplayed the long-term risks of brain trauma. Still, the NFL is concerned about the movie, and it’ll be interesting to see how the league reacts to any broadcast partners who offset the cost of televising NFL games by accepting money to publicize a film that shines a light on the ongoing threat to the sport’s very existence.