Melvin Mars awaits his fate on Death Row. He was one of America's most promising football stars until, aged twenty-years-old, he was arrested and convicted for the murder of his parents just as he was due to begin a very lucrative contract with the NFL. When Amos Decker, newly appointed special agent with the FBI, hears the news that Melvin was saved in the final seconds before his execution because someone has confessed to the killings, he persuades...

Both ESPN investigative reporters, the authors reveal how the NFL, over a period of nearly two decades, sought to cover up and deny mounting evidence of the connection between football and brain damage. This narrative moves between the NFL trenches, America's research labs and the boardrooms where the NFL went to war against science; it examines how the league used its power and resources to attack independent scientists and elevate its own flawed...

"To football fans, Aaron Hernandez was a superstar. A standout at the University of Florida, he helped the Gators win the national title in 2008. He was drafted by the New England Patriots, and in his second season with the team, he and Rob Gronkowski set records for combined touchdowns and yardage. In 2012, along with Tom Brady, they led New England to Super Bowl XLVI. But Aaron's NFL career ended as quickly as it began. On June 26, 2013, he was...

"Trace's relationship with his older brother Will becomes increasingly complicated after Will suffers a traumatic brain injury and becomes addicted to pain pills"-- Trace Reynolds has always looked up to his brother, mostly because Will, who is five years older, has never looked down on him. When Will was knocked out cold during a football game, resulting in a brain injury, everything changed. Sixteen months later their family is still living under...