Concussion

by Jeanne Marie Laskas

Overview

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE • Dr. Bennet Omalu discovered something he could not ignore. The NFL tried to silence him. His courage would change everything.
 
“A gripping medical mystery and a dazzling portrait of the young scientist no one wanted to listen to . . . a fabulous, essential read.”—Rebecca Skloot, author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
 
Jeanne Marie Laskas first met the young forensic pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu in 2009, while reporting a story for GQ that would go on to inspire the movie Concussion. Omalu told her about a day in September 2002, when, in a dingy morgue in downtown Pittsburgh, he picked up a scalpel and made a discovery that would rattle America in ways he’d never intended. 

Omalu was new to America, chasing the dream, a deeply spiritual man escaping the wounds of civil war in Nigeria. The body on the slab in front of him belonged to a fifty-year-old named Mike Webster, aka “Iron Mike,” a Hall of Fame center for the Pittsburgh Steelers, one of the greatest ever to play the game. After retiring in 1990, Webster had suffered a dizzyingly steep decline. Toward the end of his life, he was living out of his van, tasering himself to relieve his chronic pain, and fixing his rotting teeth with Super Glue. How did this happen?, Omalu asked himself. How did a young man like Mike Webster end up like this? 

The search for answers would change Omalu’s life forever and put him in the crosshairs of one of the most powerful corporations in America: the National Football League. What Omalu discovered in Webster’s brain—proof that Iron Mike’s mental deterioration was no accident but a disease caused by blows to the head that could affect everyone playing the game—was the one truth the NFL wanted to ignore.
 
Taut, gripping, and gorgeously told, Concussion is the stirring story of one unlikely man’s decision to stand up to a multibillion-dollar colossus, and to tell the world the truth.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780812987577
Publisher:	Random House Publishing Group
Publication date:	11/24/2015
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	121,163
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.93(h) x 0.68(d)

About the Author

Jeanne Marie Laskas is the author of seven books, including Concussion, Hidden America, and The Exact Same Moon. Her writing has appeared in GQ, Esquire, The New York Times Magazine, O: The Oprah Magazine, and many other publications. Laskas serves as director of The Writing Program at the University of Pittsburgh, where she teaches creative writing, and she lives on a horse farm in Pennsylvania with her husband and two children.

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

OBSCURITY

The prosecutor approaches the witness box. He’s all in gray, beautifully tailored, sleek as a dolphin, cuff links, a half Windsor knot. One thing Bennet appreciates about the American legal system is that the attorneys always dress impeccably like this. The same cannot be said, by the way, about scientists. Half of why he couldn’t survive academia was because of the sartorial slobbery. Shirttails hanging out, moccasins, saggy-ass jeans. It was too much.

“Good morning, Doctor.”

“Good morning, sir.”

“Doctor, would you please state your name for the members of the jury?”

“My name is Bennet Omalu, B-E-N-N-E-T, Omalu, O-M-A-L-U.”

Already the jurors are exchanging glances. What did he say? His accent is thick. He needs to enunciate or something.

“Dr. Omalu, I’m going to ask you to speak into the microphone so all the members of the jury will be able to hear you. If you’ll wait for just a moment, I’ll give you a bottle of water.”

He waits for the water. The whites of his eyes pop like flashbulbs. His face is round, a perfect circle, like a smiley-face button on a teenager’s backpack. It might make him appear calmer than he is. Does he appear calm? Thank you, thank you. He tries to appear calm. He is almost never calm. He is a man who thinks in double exclamation points. Excitable!! Everyone tells him he looks much younger than his thirty-nine years. Maybe because he’s short, he’ll say. He’s short because they didn’t have much of anything to feed him during the war, he’ll joke. It’s not a joke, actually. His sisters think it’s funny. Anyway, he likes it when people say he looks young. Also he likes to talk about himself. I’m a Christian. I’m a humble man. I surrender to God’s mercy and love. There’s an inwardness about him, but also a happy-go-lucky veneer of innocence.

He twists the cap off the bottle of water, sips.

Honestly, right now he wouldn’t mind a cigarette. He hasn’t smoked in years, hasn’t even thought about it, but right now a cigarette might be a terrific help. Cigarettes and kola nuts were how he survived the stress of med school. The green nuts, he broke them with his thumbs, plucked the fleshy lobes, and chewed them like taffy. There is no quicker kick of caffeine than the one a man gets from kola nuts. His father and everyone in the village in Nigeria, they thought the nuts were holy. His father in his tall red hat, three feathers standing high as if touching the spirit world, saying the Ibo blessing: “Ihe dï mma onye n’achö, ö ga-afü ya.” Whatever good he is looking for, he will see it. The men washing fingers, peanut butter dip, prayers, elders in robes.

Bennet doesn’t miss any of that business. Honestly, none of it. He never wanted anything to do with those tedious old-world village rituals. He would be a man of his time. In America. Everything back home in Nigeria was about busting loose from the pettiness, the corruption, the wicked tendencies of man.

Now he’s in America, in 2008, stuck in a boiling hot courtroom in Pittsburgh, and it feels like everything is once again about busting loose from the pettiness, the corruption, and the wicked tendencies of man. The irony is not lost on him. Thank you, God. I’m grateful you got me to America. I am truly grateful. But the irony is not lost on me.

“Dr. Omalu,” the lawyer says, “would you tell the members of the jury, please, how you are currently employed?”

“I’m the chief medical examiner of San Joaquin County in the central wine valley region of California,” he says, turning then to the court reporter with that super-straight posture, typing madly. “S-A-N J-O-A-Q-U-I-N,” he says.

“How long have you been the chief medical examiner in San Joaquin?”

“My official appointment started September 1, 2007.”

“Can you tell us, please, where San Joaquin County is located, give us a sense of where it is on the map?”

“It’s about one hour east of San Francisco and about forty-five minutes south of Sacramento, which is the capital of the state of California. It’s located in the central wine valley. In San Joaquin. We produce the Zinfandel. Zinfandel red wine . . . Zinfandel grapes. You find wine in San Joaquin—”

Oh my God, shut up about the wine! What are you, the Chamber of Commerce? That was so stupid. He’s nervous. He’s so angry. He does not want to be here. He looks down, taps his feet together, reaches down to yank at one sock, then the other, wipes a speck of dust off his shiny new shoe.

He got these shoes for the trial. Black cap-toe oxfords, shiny as tar. He wanted them wider. He told the guy, he said, wider? The guy said no, they’ll stretch. But they’re not stretching. Tight, like a band across the cuneiform bones, the cuboid bone, the navicular bone. Everything feels so tight, oh my gosh! His collar. The span of pin-striped wool across his back. Everything should not feel so tight. He’s testified in court hundreds of times; he’s gotten guys off death row, for God’s sake. A courtroom is not unfamiliar territory—and this courtroom specifically, in Pittsburgh, this is the one he knows best. This is where he used to live. This is where he made his mark. He needs to just calm himself down and remember he is here because he has to be, not because he wants to be. Bennet, you are just a child of God doing your imperfect best in an imperfect world.

“Dr. Omalu,” the prosecutor says, “how long have you been living in the United States, sir, either as a student or working as a professional?”

“I came to the United States in October 1994.”

“Are you married, sir?”

“Yes.”

“Do you have any children?”

“I have a five-month-old daughter.”

“Is that your only child?”

“Yes, sir.”

“In what country were you born, Doctor?”

“I was born in Nigeria, West Africa.”

The prosecutor glances at his notes, as if planning to move on past the introductions. He has fat eyebrows. A turnip nose. The heat in the courtroom is cranked way too high, an old boiler system, so the windows are cracked and you can hear the February wind whistle.

The prosecutor is not done with the introductions. “Can you outline very briefly for the members of the jury,” he says, “what your educational background was prior to coming to the United States?”

“I attended medical school in Nigeria,” Bennet says. He explains how it works there, six years, then a clinical internship, then mandated paramilitary service—three years doctoring in a rural village in the mountains. “I was the only physician,” he says, leaning into the microphone. “My primary responsibility was to stop people from dying.”

He reaches inside his collar, pulls where it pinches. He toggles his tie. This is a full Windsor knot. Many American presidents throughout history wore a full Windsor knot. Bennet thinks Barack Obama should at least try it. But instead Obama goes for the relaxed four-in-hand knot, a much less commanding statement. Bennet keeps all his ties already tied, loosened, in his closet, ready for action. That is the secret to always having a perfect, presidential full Windsor knot.

“Dr. Omalu, correct me if I’m wrong, you’re board certified in four separate areas of pathology, is that correct?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Those are anatomic, clinical, forensic, and neuropathology.”

“Yes, sir.”

Dutifully, he explains how all that happened, coming to America, the research scholarship, the second medical degree at Columbia University. 

Two medical degrees?

“Yes, sir.” He chose forensic pathology as his specialty. “A specialist in death, why and how death occurs.”

Becoming an expert in death would seem to be a counterintuitive move for a physician, a person committed to saving lives. He would need an entire afternoon to explain to the jury how he ended up doing autopsies for a living; none of this had been in his plan for his life. None of this. 

“Just to round out the academic picture here,” the prosecutor says, “you are also currently finishing up one other degree?”

Two more, actually, for a total of seven. “I have a master’s in public health in epidemiology. I did that at the University of Pittsburgh. I’m also completing in May, thankfully, May of this year, a master’s in business administration at Carnegie Mellon University, which I’m happy about completing. That is it.” 

“You are not going to get any more degrees?”

“No. My father said, Bennet, you should retire as a professional student when you turn forty, and I’m turning forty this year.”

Heh. A little levity. He looks over at the jury—two rows of blank faces. Do they even understand him? He knows people sometimes have a hard time.

There is one person in the courtroom who understands him. The defendant, his former boss, Dr. Cyril Wecht. He’s over there at the table, a ghost in Bennet’s peripheral vision. Bennet hasn’t even been able to look at Wecht. That is so juvenile. Come on, Bennet, just look at him.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Obscurity 3

Chapter 2 Running 17

Chapter 3 Spiral 39

Chapter 4 America 52

Chapter 5 Fancy 68

Chapter 6 The Morgue 86

Chapter 7 Discovery 107

Chapter 8 Belonging 130

Chapter 9 Attack 149

Chapter 10 Scramble 171

Chapter 11 Oddball 187

Chapter 12 Comfort Zone 204

Chapter 13 Word 228

Chapter 14 Daddy 247

Acknowledgments 267

Author's Note 271

Editorial Reviews

10/19/2015
Part medical whodunit and part biography, this arresting account by Laska (Hidden America) introduces Bennet Omalu, a forensic pathologist who reluctantly unravels a medical threat that challenges the future of the National Football League. In 2002, Omalu, a forensic neuropathologist working for the Allegheny County coroner’s office, performs an autopsy on former NFL great Mike Webster, who exhibited bizarre behavior and dementia, and concludes that the cause was chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a debilitating brain disease, caused by concussions sustained during football games. Omalu stirs up a hornet’s nest when he testifies about these conclusions in court. At times, Laskas switches the focus to the Nigerian doctor’s overly romanticized views of America or his painful battle with depression, but the book mostly covers his detailed legal wrangling with the NFL monopoly over long-term CTE symptoms and acceptable compensation. The deck is stacked again against any football player taking savage hits in the game, even with the protective helmet, according to Omalu: “On the surface is nothing, but you open the skull and the brain is mush.” Some NFL officials and gridiron vets think the CTE legal aftermath has weakened football’s muscular appeal, but Laskas expertly makes the case for valuing the health of football players over the image of the league, justifying the large cash settlement for damage. This important book is based on a 2009 article Laskas wrote for GQ, as is a forthcoming film. Agent: Elyse Cheney, Elyse Cheney Literary. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

Advance praise for Concussion
 
“A gripping medical mystery and a dazzling portrait of the young scientist no one wanted to listen to . . . a fabulous, essential read.”—Rebecca Skloot, author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

“The story of Dr. Bennet Omalu’s battle against the NFL is classic David and Goliath stuff, and Jeanne Marie Laskas—one of my favorite writers on earth—makes it as exciting as any great courtroom or gridiron drama. A riveting, powerful human tale—and a master class on how to tell a story.”—Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit
 
“Bennet Omalu forced football to reckon with head trauma. The NFL doesn’t want you to hear his story, but Jeanne Marie Laskas makes it unforgettable. This book is gripping, eye-opening, and full of heart.”—Emily Bazelon, author of Sticks and Stones

From the Publisher

10/15/2015
Laskas first wrote about Pittsburgh-based forensic pathologist Bennet Omalu in a 2009 GQ article, and here has expanded the story of Omalu's battle with the NFL over football-related brain injuries. Omalu discovered a disease he named Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) in 2002, while studying the brain of deceased Hall of Famer Mike Webster. Laskas tells Omalu's life story on a personal basis, even incorporating "passages of introspection" by Omalu to flesh out the re-created scenes for dramatic effect. The author draws a parallel between the governmental corruption that drove Omalu from his native Nigeria to the NFL's response to his discovery; unfortunately, she gives a pass to the grandstanders in the U.S. Congress trying to use the situation to personal political advantage. Although the NFL has attempted to belittle Omalu's work, his publication record in scientific journals gives him clear provenance and authority on the issue. The extent of the league's complicity and prior knowledge of CTE will continue to be studied by lawyers, while other factors potentially related to CTE will be examined by medical researchers in this ongoing story. VERDICT This book spins a provocative tale that is somewhat marred by an overemphasis on peripheral issues related to the trial of Omalu's boss Cyril Wecht, yet it will attract a large audience owing to the upcoming film Concussion starring Will Smith.

Library Journal

2015-09-15
A maddening, well-constructed tale of medical discovery and corporate coverup, set in morgues, laboratories, courtrooms, and football fields. Nigeria-born Bennet Omalu is perhaps an unlikely hero, a medical doctor board-certified in four areas of pathology, "anatomic, clinical, forensic, and neuropathology," and a well-rounded specialist in death. When his boss, celebrity examiner Cyril Wecht ("in the autopsy business, Wecht was a rock star"), got into trouble for various specimens of publicity-hound overreach, Omalu was there to offer patient, stoical support. The student did not surpass the teacher in flashiness, but Omalu was a rock star all his own in studying the brain to determine a cause of death. Laskas' (Creative Writing/Univ. of Pittsburgh; Hidden America, 2012, etc.) main topic is the horrific injuries wrought to the brains and bodies of football players on the field. Omalu's study of the unfortunate brain of Pittsburgh Steeler Mike Webster, who died in 2002 at 50 of a supposed heart attack, brought new attention to the trauma of concussion. Laskas trades in sportwriter-ese, all staccato delivery full of tough guy-isms and sports clichés: "He had played for fifteen seasons, a warrior's warrior; he played in more games—two hundred twenty—than any other player in Steelers history. Undersized, tough, a big, burly white guy—a Pittsburgh kind of guy—the heart of the best team in history." A little of that goes a long way, but Laskas, a Pittsburgher who first wrote of Omalu and his studies in a story in GQ, does sturdy work in keeping up with a grim story that the NFL most definitely did not want to see aired—not in Omalu's professional publications in medical journals, nor, reportedly, on the big screen in the Will Smith vehicle based on this book. Effectively sobering. Suffice it to say that Pop Warner parents will want to armor their kids from head to toe upon reading it.

Kirkus Reviews

The basis of the 2015 movie starring Will Smith, this is a sprawling account of pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu’s discovery of pervasive traumatic brain injury (TBI) among professional football players and how the NFL responded to his findings. Hillary Huber’s narration connects in an appealing way with the ebb and flow of the drama in the hero’s journey. Along with her obvious respect for her subject and a believable portrayal of the Nigerian immigrant’s accented speech, she does a good job of moderating the sinister aspects of this David and Goliath story. Medical mystery and legal battling may be the headlines, but the heart of this audio is the richly illustrated details of the hero’s African culture and experiences. These influences explain why his personal honor and reverence for the truth compelled him to stand firm when corporate interests tried to crush him. T.W. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

JULY 2017 - AudioFile

The basis of the 2015 movie starring Will Smith, this is a sprawling account of pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu’s discovery of pervasive traumatic brain injury (TBI) among professional football players and how the NFL responded to his findings. Hillary Huber’s narration connects in an appealing way with the ebb and flow of the drama in the hero’s journey. Along with her obvious respect for her subject and a believable portrayal of the Nigerian immigrant’s accented speech, she does a good job of moderating the sinister aspects of this David and Goliath story. Medical mystery and legal battling may be the headlines, but the heart of this audio is the richly illustrated details of the hero’s African culture and experiences. These influences explain why his personal honor and reverence for the truth compelled him to stand firm when corporate interests tried to crush him. T.W. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

JULY 2017 - AudioFile