"Jerry Smith was a star on the field, but was never able to find fulfillment in his personal life,” Kinnaman said. “He had Brig to help him through his struggle, but to this day so many young people don’t have anyone to turn to when wrestling with homosexuality — especially in the sports world. That’s one of the reasons this story needs to be told. It’s as relevant today as it was 40 years ago.”
The "Brig" that Joel mentions in the above quote is Brig Owens, a black teammate who was Smith's best friend and who will be the other focus of the as-yet-untitled film...