Jeff Rohrer and Doug Cosbie played together on the consistently mediocre Cowboys teams of the 1980s, Rohrer as linebacker, Cosbie as tight end. Like their teammates and the rest of the NFL, they subjected their bodies to massive punishment each week -- the type of punishment now linked to all sorts of neurological problems, from chronic headaches and memory loss to Alzheimer's and depression.
Now, the former teammates want to make a movie. Rohrer and Cosbie are joining up with an L.A. production company to make Konkussion Stories, a feature-length documentary exploring the after-effects of a career in the NFL. The trailer you see above features a handful of former Cowboys -- Charlie Waters, Drew Pearson, Robert Newhouse, Mike Renfro -- speaking about their experiences.
"I was knocked out, I want to say, an average of about three games a year, maybe more," Waters says. Pearson remembers getting his bell rung and being asked how many fingers a coach was holding up. "If I said two and they only had one, they would say that's close enough."
Before they can finish making the documentary, and before James Caan can come do the narration he's signed on for, Rohrer, Cosbie and Barry O'Brien, their Hannah Montana co-creating business partner, they need to raise $375,000. Rather than try to squeeze money from the Hollywood machine, they're turning to Kickstarter. They have $3,600 so far, but, hey, it's still early.
