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Bennet Omalu

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Doctor

The Resume

    (September 30, 1968- )
    Born in Enugwu Ukwu, Anambra State, Nigeria
    Middle name is Ifeakandu
    Forensic pathologist and neuropathologist
    First to discover and publish findings on Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in NFL players
    Book is 'Truth Doesn't Have a Side: My Alarming Discovery about the Danger of Contact Sport'
    Subject of the 2015 movie ‘Concussion’
    Portrayed by Will Smith

Why he might be annoying:

    His story became an Oscar bait vehicle.
    He was portrayed as refusing to testify against his boss/mentor Cyril Wecht in his corruption trial - when, in reality, he not only testified but actively lobbied for Wecht's job and left Pittsburg when he didn't get it.
    It has been disputed as to whether or not he was the first to establish the link between football and CTE.
    Some scientists have also been skeptical of the full extent of the link he established between CTE and the deaths of players found to have had it.
    After then-Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton appeared to pass out at a September 11, 2016 event, he took to Twitter to suggest that she had been poisoned and to recommend a ‘toxicologic analysis of [her] blood.’
    He further tweeted justification saying: ‘I do not trust Mr. Putin and Mr. Trump. With those two, all things are possible.’

Why he might not be annoying:

    His family emigrated to the United States during the Nigerian Civil War.
    He conducted the autopsy of the first known NFL player to be diagnosed with CTE (Pittsburgh Steeler Mike Webster) in 2002.
    He further established the link to CTE in diagnosis of Junior Seau and Dave Duerson.
    His findings in Neurosurgery were initially dismissed by the NFL, who came out in full force against him (he initially thought they would be thrilled).
    He spent as much as $100,000 of his own money on CTE research and testing.
    The NFL was eventually forced to take the concussion issue more seriously and it led to a famous lockout and joint lawsuit by players against the League in 2011.
    He turned down an offer to become the chief medical examiner for the District of Columbia, in order to spend more time with his family.
    He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in February 2015.
    Will Smith was denied an Oscar nomination for playing him, sparking a second year of the #OscarsSoWhite movement.
    The film did lead to the creation of a foundation named in his honor to advance CTE and concussion research.

Credit: BoyWithTheGreenHair


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Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying