Drop Back Ten (2000)

After an expose on NFL players causes a series of lawsuits, a reporter gets fired. A loyal editor nonetheless gives him a freelance story to work on. It seems that an athletic 19 year old actor had been preparing to star in a low-budget gridiron movie when a mysterious assailant attacked him and destroyed his appearance. He was, of course, dismissed from the film. The reporter is to find out the true story of what happened. His investigation finds a history of beating his wife and a complete disinterest from the movie crew's producer.