The film “Concussion” is now playing in theatres across the country.

And while the movie may paint the NFL in a bad light in terms of how much the league knew about the long-term damage of head injuries and whether it kept that information from its players, it also educates the public.

The question looms more and more: Should parents allow their young children to get into football?

The Brain Injury Research Institute has released some disturbing findings. It says that 20 percent of all high school football players sustain some type of brain injury at some point. Its report also indicates that 40.5 percent of football players sustaining concussions return to action too soon.

Yes, concussions can occur in virtually any sport that involves physical contact, including soccer, hockey and wrestling. So why pick on football?

Sheer numbers.

More than three million youths and high school athletes are playing the sport.

The flip side of this is there is a reason for football’s popularity. No sport bonds people together more.

Butler graduates Zach Rader and Ben McKnight recently ended their football careers at Grove City College. Their teams did not have success in terms of wins, but neither guy would trade his football experiences for anything.

They say they’ve made lifelong friends through football, that some of their teammates will be in their wedding parties some day.

Absolutely, there is something to be said for that.

Football bonds people together because teamwork is so essential to success in the sport. When linemen repeatedly plow into each other and sacrifice themselves physically to benefit a team, that tends to stay with people.

Loyalty and commitment to each other are a natural by-product of football.

Problem is, research done by Boston University indicates that the average high school football lineman engages in this physical contact 1,000 to 1,500 times per season.

Do the math. That’s a lot of hitting.

This is not to suggest that every person who ever donned a football helmet and shoulder pads — including those who go on to play for a long time — sustains any type of debilitating injury long term.

It does suggest that the risk is very real.

With the knowledge of concussions that exist today, football has become a tough call for a parent.

One can argue that we can’t be afraid of life and that risk is part of living. Any race car driver or boxer will tell you that.

Football can build relationships that last a lifetime. It can also play roulette with one’s brain.

Tough call.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle