'He's still winning': Haselrig CTE documentary nominated for Sports Emmy, family receives payment from NFL
Apr. 13—Earning a Sports Emmy nomination as director of a documentary about Johnstown's Carlton Haselrig and his battle with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) meant a lot to Isaac Solotaroff.
The impact that the powerful, 25-minute Fault Lines film "Bloodsport" had on Carlton's widow, Michelle, and her family had even more significance to the director.
"The day that the broadcast came out, the NFL agreed to a settlement with Michelle," Solotaroff said during a telephone interview on Wednesday.
Carlton Haselrig attained Pro Bowl status as an offensive lineman with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1990s. Prior to his unlikely rise to the National Football League, Haselrig had won six individual national titles as a heavyweight wrestler at Pitt-Johnstown. The Cambria County Sports Hall of Famer is considered one of the greatest athletes the region has ever produced.
"They had denied Carlton's claim before," Solotaroff said.
"I guess the evidence we were able to show in the documentary made it too embarrassing for them to continue to stiff this widow. The greatest thing to come out of this is that Michelle got the justification that she deserved."
'Get to keep my house'In the Al Jazeera English Fault Lines documentary, Michelle Haselrig said her family faced financial difficulties after Carlton died at age 54 in July 2020. She showed "Bloodsport" senior correspondent John Rushing the sports memorabilia she planned to sell, including a cherished National Wrestling Hall of Fame medal and plaque.
"The NFL reached out after the film," Michelle Haselrig said Wednesday. "They gave him (Carlton Haselrig) some of what they thought he should get.
"I'm not complaining," she said. "We've been waiting since the year 2000. All I know is that I get to keep my house."
"Bloodsport" focused on Haselrig's declining health, including disturbing video footage Michelle took of the former Greater Johnstown High School star football player and wrestler who also coached at his alma mater.
In one scene, a confused and angry Carlton Haselrig ranted in his bed, calling out to his grandfather and father, both of whom had died years before. He looked much thinner and more frail than he did as a Steelers lineman.
"It was very moving," said Bruce Haselrig, Carlton's uncle and a hall of fame wrestling official who was in one of the documentary's most memorable scenes.
Bruce Haselrig held the Steelers helmet Carlton wore during his final season with the team, revealing deep gouges — the result of numerous collisions with other players.
'He meant a lot'
During the scene, Bruce Haselrig said, "Boom," while describing the hits his nephew received.
"It makes me relive some things," Bruce Haselrig said Wednesday. "I'm very sorry that Carlton is no longer here and he is not able to continue his life.
"I work at wrestling events all over the country, and I still have people come up to me and say they're glad to meet me because I'm Carlton's uncle. He meant a lot to a lot of people."
Carlton Haselrig played for the Steelers from 1990 to 1993. He spent a season with the New York Jets in 1995, but substance abuse and other off-field issues, perhaps caused by repeated head trauma, cut short a promising career.
His family donated Carlton's brain to Boston University's Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center for research because CTE can only be confirmed postmortem.
"Bloodsport" is among five nominees in the Outstanding Short Documentary category of the 44th Sports Emmys, which will be presented by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences on May 22 in New York.
The other nominees include: HBO Max/38 at the Garden; UFC Fight Pass/Fightlore, Mark Schultz's Ultimate Victory; Netflix/Hold Your Breath: The Ice Dive; and TNT/NBA on TNT Bill Russell: Answer the Call.
'We're a long shot'
When asked about his initial reaction to the nomination, Solotaroff said he was, "Stunned. Utterly stunned."
"We're a long shot. It was wonderful to get the nomination," said Solotaroff, who also was a 2013 Sports Emmy nominee for directing "Casualties of the Gridiron."
"We're up against a Bill Russell documentary," he said. "That guy is one of the greatest winners in the NBA history."
"The NFL is a very powerful organization and this award is voted on by industry insiders," Solotaroff said. "We all have a very difficult time telling stories like this, which is a reason why I did it with Al Jazeera, an international broadcaster.
"I was surprised, humbled," he added.
"I am grateful to the extraordinary team I worked with. I had the very good fortune to be introduced to Michelle Haselrig. Carlton's story has helped to tell the bigger story about what is happening with CTE and the NFL."
The documentary delved into controversial topics such as the deaths of former NFL players, race norming that adversely impacted scores of Black players, and the NFL's handling of its settlement to compensate former players who suffered brain injuries.
Solotaroff cited an interview in the documentary with Dr. Charles Golden, a neuropsychologist who was part of the NFL's CTE research program. In "Bloodsport," Golden described how he and a colleague felt they were pressured by the NFL while interpreting results that would impact settlement compensation.
"He told us that on the record," Solotaroff said. "That has never been on the record before. We found this extraordinary whistleblower and when he told us this, my jaw hit the ground.
"To have somebody who examined over 100 former NFL players, that the NFL pressured him and his colleagues. That was the most damning thing I had to report in the story."
Solotaroff reached out to Michelle Haselrig soon after learning of the documentary's nomination.
"I was sitting here and Isaac texted me," Michelle Haselrig said. "He just said, 'The documentary just got nominated for an Emmy, OMG!' I could not believe it."
Michelle quickly shared the news with family.
"Our daughters, the two girls, this is the first time they got emotional," she said.
"They cried. They couldn't believe it.
"Their Dad is gone, but he's still like the champion to them. He's still winning. He's still getting things done.
"It's unbelievable that Carlton could be gone and now he's nominated for an Emmy."
Mike Mastovich is a sports reporter and columnist for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 814-532-5083. Follow him on Twitter @Masty81.
