You may have noticed it while you were in between eating your turkey and the pumpkin pie. The ad for the movie “Concussion” aired during the Philadelphia-Detroit game on Fox and then again during the Carolina-Dallas game on CBS. According to CNN’s Brian Stelter, an ad also aired during the Texas-Texas Tech college football matchup on FS1.

The movie which chronicles the discovery of CTE and its connection to football has been on the NFL’s radar for quite some time. ESPN has previously announced that it will accept the ad and it has already aired on its network including Monday’s Bills-Patriots game. And with the other NFL broadcast partners (with the exception of the league-owned NFL Network) allowing the “Concussion” commercial to air, fans will see scenes for the Will Smith vehicle all the way through the opening on Christmas Day.

Of course, if the NFL made a stink and advised its partners not to accept the ad, it would have brought even more publicity to the movie which has already seen its share of news in the run up to its premiere.

Expect to see a heavy rotation of ads for “Concussion” on NFL and college football games as Sony Pictures hopes to attract a big audience for the movie. With the release of the movie on Christmas Day, Sony is hoping to get a lot of buzz for “Concussion,” not just from the public, but also for Will Smith who plays Dr. Bennet Omalu, the man who discovered the link between CTE in several deceased NFL players. Sony is already positioning Smith for Oscar talk for the Best Actor Award.

So as you gather your Thanksgiving leftovers to go with your football this weekend, you’ll see plenty of reminders for “Concussion” on the networks from broadcast to cable.

[CNN Money]

About Ken Fang

Ken has been covering the sports media in earnest at his own site, Fang's Bites since May 2007 and at Awful Announcing since March 2013.

He provides a unique perspective having been an award-winning radio news reporter in Providence and having worked in local television.

Fang celebrates the four Boston Red Sox World Championships in the 21st Century, but continues to be a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.