Redwood class of 1983 alumnus Mark Fainaru-Wada will be interviewed on The Daily Show this Thursday night to discuss his new book, League of Denial: The NFL, Concussions and the Battle for Truth.

Fainaru-Wada is a journalist who works for ESPN with his brother Steve Fainaru, with whom he co-wrote League of Denial. Their book investigates how repeated head trauma among football players can potentially cause severe brain damage such as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), and reveals how the NFL has attempted to cover up evidence relating brain damage to football.

“It’s a violent, brutal sport, and at the NFL level that’s really what we love about it,” said Fainaru-Wada in a recent phone interview. “For the past two decades, the NFL did a disservice to its players by denying where it’s headed. But now that players know, they can make their own decisions about it.”

League of Denial: The NFL, Concussions and the Battle for Truth, which was released on Oct. 8, also became adapted into a documentary. The book and film have garnered a large response from professional and student football players and their families, as well as scientists studying the effects of repeated trauma on the brain.

“In many ways I wanted was to inform people as much as possible and have them make their own judgments on what it all means,” Fainaru-Wada said.

Fainaru-Wada also co-authored Game of Shadows: Barry Bonds, BALCO, and the Steroids Scandal that Rocked Professional Sports, which broke the BALCO scandal in 2006.

Fainaru-Wada will be discussing his book with Jon Stewart at 11 p.m. on Comedy Central. “How ludicrous is that? I’m just going to try and stay sane and relaxed,” he said. “It’s one of those other-worldly moments. What the hell am I doing on the Daily Show?”