Free ‘Concussion’ offered to NFL players

Talk about a marketing blitz. NFL players and retirees will be able to see the controversial film “Concussion” for free as long as it runs in theaters, Sony Pictures Entertainment said Wednesday.

The offer was made to the 12,000 members of the NFL Players Association, which represent past and present players.

So far, a few hundred players have seen the film through prearranged screenings, according to sources.

Many of those who saw the film were said to have been rounded up in team locker rooms by reps of the NFLPA.

The movie stars Will Smith as Dr. Bennet Omalu, a forensic neuropathologist known for the discovery that multiple concussions can lead to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.

Smith’s performance has been touted as being Oscarworthy.

The NFL has been accused of dragging its feet on the issue. At first the league denied the link between multiple concussions and CTE. It did not cooperate in the making of the film.

Ridley Scott, the director of “Thelma & Louise” and “Gladiator, was once slated to direct “Concussion.” In the end, he produced the flick with his wife, Giannina Scott.

“This is a movie for the players, so we wanted to give them a chance to see it before its nationwide release and free admission during its run in theaters,” the Scotts were quoted as saying in a Sonyissued statement.

The NFL did not respond to a call for comment.

However, studio sources told The Post that despite reports to the contrary, the NFL didn’t interfere with the film’s production nor demand script alterations.