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Search Underway for 'Affluenza' Teen & Mom; Will Smith Talks About New Movie, "Concussion". Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired December 18, 2015 - 08:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:32:00] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: The FBI and U.S. Marshal Service now helping search for the affluenza teenager who has gone missing while on probation for causing a fatal drunk driving accident. Ethan Couch plowed his pickup truck into a group of people two years ago. He killed four people. But Couch's defense team said his wealthy parents didn't teach him right from wrong and that's why he should get a lighter sentence. Again, just got probation, but now he is on the run.

Joining us now to discuss this, Kevin McConnell, whose son survived the horrific wreck, and his attorney, Todd Clement. Mr. Clement also represented Eric Boyles, who lost both his wife and his daughter in that accident.

Kevin, I want to start with you. Are you surprised right now that Ethan Couch and his mother, Tanya, are both missing?

KEVIN MCCONNELL, SON INJURED BY ETHAN COUCH: Yes, I'm sure you can read the shock all over my face. No. No, surprises at all.

BERMAN: Why not?

MCCONNELL: There was a pattern. I mean just four months before the crash, an arresting officer had, you know, made the statement to Ethan that if you keep this up, if you keep acting like this, you're going to wind up killing yourself or someone else. So that could have been chance number one right there to turn it around and that didn't happen. Chance number two was the probated sentence. Chance number three was the rehab facility in California. Chance number four was the state hospital in Texas. Chance number five was the boy's ranch. You know, nothing's - nothing's going to make an impact on this guy unless there's something severe and certain.

BERMAN: You can read it in your face and we can hear it in the tone of your voice, Kevin. This has got to absolutely infuriate you.

MCCONNELL: I wouldn't say infuriate. You know, anger - anger has to subside at some point. Anger's a temporary emotion. And, you know, I try not to hang on to that. But I - I do feel like accountability hasn't been demonstrated yet and I would - would still like to have some accountability because I need - I need for my son Lucas to see that there - there are consequences for bad decisions.

BERMAN: And, Todd, the fact that it's not just this boy, this teenager, who's missing right now. His mother also. I mean at this point, how much culpability do you feel she has in this whole situation?

TODD CLEMENT, ATTORNEY FOR MCCONNELL FAMILY & ERIC BOYLES: A great deal. At the very opening of the criminal trial, the first thing Ethan Couch's defense attorney said in his opening statement is, Ethan Couch is a product of profoundly dysfunctional parent whose set no boundaries and enabled this bad behavior. Geez, again the exact same thing. And he - he goes back. You know, they - they have protected him time and time again. When the video comes out and him reenacting what happened the night of this crash, remember, he and his friends were playing beer pong at the house where he was staying by himself at 15 years old just before this crash happens. And - and look at the Twitter video that went viral. Guess what he's doing. It appears to be the exact same thing.

[08:35:14] BERMAN: And this gets back to the judge's sentence. I mean the judge initially sentenced this kid to 10 years' probation. No jail time whatsoever. So what would your message to this judge be today two years later?

CLEMENT: Well, this judge is now retired. But it's clear that she gave someone a chance that didn't deserve it. And exactly what Lucas McConnell predicted. And, Kevin, you had in his impact statement at the criminal trial, your son predicted it. What did he say?

MCCONNELL: I can read you just - just the last line of Lucas's victim impact statement. This was back in December of '13, before the actual sentencing. Lucas wrote, he was then 13 years old. The last line says, "while I think we should do our best at forgiving, I believe that if this situation is not handled with severity, you won't take it seriously." And that - that was Lucas' foresight two years ago. You know, I just wish that Judge Boyd had had that same foresight.

BERMAN: Wow, your son basically said he knew that it would not make an impact emotionally on Ethan Couch. What would your message be, Kevin, right now to Ethan if he's watching somewhere on the run in the United States or perhaps in a different country right now?

MCCONNELL: Well, first of all, you know, I don't wish anything bad upon Ethan. And I think, with what's happening, I don't see an exit strategy the way he's going. I would - I would just say, you know, Ethan, you're a man now. It's time to man up, come in and let's begin to make good decisions and start again. I mean you're - you're not beyond redemption.

BERMAN: Todd, have you heard it all now? The FBI is involved, the U.S. Marshals involved in this search. I talked to the sheriffs last night. Do you have any updates right now in the hunt?

CLEMENT: No. But what we understand is, he was gone for a while before it was determined that he was gone. And the sheriff here in Fort Worth has made statements like, you know, he - he is number one on our list. We've enlisted the U.S. Marshals. We've enlisted the FBI. And the local sheriff here rather colorfully said, when he find him, he's going to go to big boy jail. BERMAN: Kevin, how's your son Lucas doing now?

MCCONNELL: Lucas is - is doing great. He's got a great support structure around him. We've got a strong support at our church. We've - he's got a deep faith in Jesus Christ and good family around him. So he's doing great and he's going to be fine.

BERMAN: What does he make of what's happening right now.

MCCONNELL: You know, he - he still can't - he still can't reconcile the lack of justice. I mean if you look at the justice symbol, it's the - it's the lady with the scales. And she's blindfolded. And justice is supposed to be blind. It's supposed to be meted out equally no matter who you are. The scales represent balance. There - there should be, you know, no tilting one way or the other based on who you are or where you're from. And it's hard for me to reconcile with my son and my other two sons as well that, you know, there - there's no accountability. He can't - he can't reconcile.

BERMAN: Todd, do you think the system - Todd, you know, we talked about the sentence from the judge, the sentence she initially gave, but what about how the system worked after that over the last few years. Contact with the probation officer. How the monitoring of Ethan has been handled. Do you now have questions about that?

CLEMENT: You know, he's in the juvenile system. And because the juvenile system - he is a juvenile, there are special rules for juveniles. And most of the time it really works. I don't know that we can blame the system after this occurred for this. I think we, again, just have to put the blame where it belongs, on Ethan, and if his parents are enabling this behavior, as they did in the past, on them. I don't think this is a system failure after the fact. A lot of us do think it was a system failure at the sentencing.

BERMAN: Todd, thanks so much for being with us. Kevin McConnell, thank you so much for being with us. Please give our best to your son Lucas as he continues to recover.

MCCONNELL: My please.

CLEMENT: Thanks, John.

MCCONNELL: Thanks.

BERMAN: What's your take on all of this? Certainly a lot of people talking about this. Tweet us @newday or post your comment on facebook.com/newday.

Alisyn.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: OK, John.

The new movie "Concussion" tackling the topic of football head injuries. Up next, the Hollywood superstar Will Smith sits down with our Rachel Nichols to talk about "Concussion," the future of football and more. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:43:43] MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, here's the Friday edition of the five things you need to know for your new day.

At number one, President Obama is expected to defend his ISIS strategy in his year-end new conference this afternoon. He will then fly to California meeting with the families of the San Bernardino terror attack.

A friend of one of the San Bernardino terrorists now behind bars on terror and other charges. Officials say Enrique Marquez bought the guns used in the massacre but was not involved in the planning of it.

A staffer on Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign has been fired after improperly searching confidential data from Hillary Clinton's campaign on a Democratic voter database. The DNC now suspending Sanders' campaign's use of that database until the issue is resolved.

Jeb Bush, meanwhile, refusing to back fellow Republican Donald Trump over Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton. In an interview with our John Berman, he dodged picking one over the other, saying he's, quote, "learned not to answer questions."

All right, the moment "Star Wars" fans have been lining up for and waiting for, "The Force Awakens" now in theaters. That movie getting solid reviews from critics and lots of fans who caught the first showing give it bigs thumbs up.

So for more on the five things, be sure to visit newdaycnn.com for the latest.

Ali.

CAMEROTA: OK, Michaela.

[08:44:54] One of the biggest stars in Hollywood speaking out about the hidden medical costs of playing football. Will Smith plays a doctor in the new movie "Concussion." How the movie has impacted Smith's view of football. Will Smith sits down with CNN straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEREIRA: A new film opening on Christmas Day about football-related brain trauma is creating all sorts of controversy for its negative portrayal of the National Football League. "Concussion" stars Will Smith, who plays Bennet Omalu, a doctor who shed light on the hidden health dangers facing football players.

Our sports anchor, Rachel Nichols, sat down with Will Smith - lucky girl. They talked football, parenting, and a little bit of politics, question mark?

RACHEL NICHOLS, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes absolutely. And look, in this movie Will Smith plays the doctor who basically found the link between football and this kind of brain damage. He did the autopsy on Mike Webster, Hall of Fame player with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and basically found out that it was football that likely killed him. I asked Will what it was like to do that and to play that part, considering his own personal feelings and connection with the game. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICHOLS: Your son, Trey, played football. I know you are an Eagles fan.

WILL SMITH, ACTOR: Oh my gosh, yes.

NICHOLS: When you were first considering this part in this movie, what was the inner conflict about that?

SMITH: I was a football dad and I grew up in Philly and loved football. I did not want to be the guy who said to the world that oh, guys, there might be a hidden danger that we're not seeing. But after I met Dr. Omalu and he told me his story and I sort of understand the science of it, as a parent I started to feel impelled to tell the story. Because I didn't know. While my son was playing, I didn't know. And I knew that if I didn't know, other parents didn't know. So it became important for me to be a part of the delivery of the information.

[08:50:20] NICHOLS: You weren't just a football dad. You were a football dad. You were shooting a movie in China, is this right, and you would fly back to L.A. every week to see him play?

SMITH: For 10 straight weeks. We were shooting "The Karate Kid" with my youngest son, Jaden. We were shooting "The Karate Kid" in Beijing and football season started for my older son in Los Angeles. So I commuted for ten weeks for the entire football season.

NICHOLS: Well that is what's so complicated about this and people watching this movie and their feeling because, look, football isn't just about football. Right? It is about how people connect with their kids.

SMITH: Absolutely.

NICHOLS: And connect with their dads and what their traditions are on Thanksgiving. And people are reluctant to see that challenged.

SMITH: Yes. I think that -- I had to accept in the process and why this was very helpful just for my development as a human being, that it is not black and white. It is not -- there is not easy answers. It is both things at the same time. It absolutely is one of the most beautiful, poetic, and powerful sports you will ever see. It is the strongest and most powerful human beings on earth. But at the same time there is a hidden potential long-term brain issue with the game that is hidden in plain sight. So that there is -- it is both things. It is not one or the other.

NICHOLS: Now for the million dollar question is, now that you know what you know, you said educating parents, would you let Trey play football now? If he came to you now and said hey, dad, I want to play high school football. What would you say?

SMITH: I would say son, listen, I love you. And if were up to me you could play, but your mother said no.

(LAUGHTER)

NICHOLS: That is an excellent strategy. I love it. The NFL in this movie is not exactly looking good. They are portrayed as willfully obscuring the truth about something that is causing physical long-term harm to their players. Do you think that is an accurate portrayal?

SMITH: That is something that we debated very heavily during this film and I like to chock things up to a lack of knowledge and a lack of clarity about what is real and what's true.

NICHOLS: How do you think the people in the NFL office feel about you these days?

SMITH: You know, I -- I probably won't be getting my free Super Bowl ticket this year.

NICHOLS: Don't worry. I don't think Roger Goodell sent me a Christmas card this year either, so we're in good company.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PEREIRA: Good company, indeed.

NICHOLS: Yeah, exactly. Right? And I do want to hit on the politics thing you mentioned earlier. You heard the immigrant character from Nigeria that Will Smith played in this movie. He said after living in that skin for a year, he's really bothered by all of the anti- immigrant rhetoric that he hears in politics right now. So much so that he said I am considering running for office.

PEREIRA: You are kidding me.

NICHOLS: He said I can't rule it out. Maybe president. So you know, Kanye says he wants to run in 2020. Maybe we have Kanye/Fresh Prince. That's our next election.

PEREIRA: Wow. What a ticket.

NICHOLS: What do you think about that, CNN?

PEREIRA: What a ticket. Hey, listen, I want to talk to you about something that I think that was really interesting that your interview really hit upon about football is something a lot of parents are struggling with. It is more than just a game. It unites communities. It builds sportsmanship. All of the things -- It is almost like a religion in some areas. Given this new science that we know about and this new information, how do we reconcile that?

NICHOLS: He says it is not a black and white issue, right, and I think that is true. And hey, "Friday Night Lights," so many towns in America, the entire town is built around this. And we have to think about what that means, what the long-term impact is and the long-term impact on the NFL because you heard him say, you know what, whether he blames Jada or not, he would pull his son out of football. You have more parents feeling they will do that and that is a real long-term threat to the way the NFL has its foothold in this country.

PEREIRA: OK. So what of the NFL? What are they -- How are they reacting? How are they counteracting the press of this movie?

NICHOLS: Right. Well they came out with a statement saying that they welcome a discussion on payer safety, they made the point that they have made nearly 40 rules changes over the last decade to help player safety in general. But we'll see in this movie that Will Smith's character takes a jar with a brain in it and he starts shaking it. And it is hard to see how any rules changes is going to dull the fact that that is what is happening. So it's going to be a controversy.

PEREIRA: All right, Rachel. Thanks so much. Good to have you here, darling.

NICHOLS: Thank you.

[08:54:53] PEREIRA: "Good Stuff" coming up next. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: Time now for "The Good Stuff." Let's meet Philly. He's homeless. He lives under a New Orleans highway. He recently set up a Christmas tree, as you can see, for himself and the homeless people living around him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLY, HOMELESS MAN WHO SET UP CHRISTMAS TREE: My purpose was bring hope and stir hope and smiles.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: That was his purpose, but not the city's. The city called it a code violation.

PEREIRA: Really?

CAMEROTA: Yes. They took away his tree. Not once, but twice. The second time, crushing it in a garage truck right in front of him. Philly was heartbroken and that's when his fellow citizens heard about this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't care what code violation it is. It is the holidays and these people need everything they can uplift them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Saving Christmas. Saving Christmas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Philly received dozens of Christmas trees after his was destroyed. They were complete with decorations, even presents to put beneath the trees. He received so many trees, John, he's now handing out the extra to others who could also use them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLY: See, that is what we can do by helping others. We don't have to have thousands or millions to help somebody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: I will say I hope the compassion and the outreach to the homeless living there continues beyond just Christmas.