Brett Favre played a remarkable 20 years in the NFL and started a record 321 consecutive games in a sport that is known for violent hits and punishment.
Over the past few years, current and former have revealed that they are dealing with the harsh reality of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a brain disease that can be only detected after death.
CTE has caused many former players to suffer from depression and suicide as a result.
In an interview with CNN, the former Packers quarterback revealed that he is extremely worried about his longterm health and what his future holds as a result of the many hits he took during his playing days:
“I am afraid of not only my future, but of other players … intentionally playing the game, knowing that the repercussions could be life threatening. I have one who’s 8, 3 and a newborn. And they have not decided, at least the 8 year old, to play football. I’m not going to encourage him to play football. I’m not saying I would discourage him, but I would be cringing every time I saw my grandson get tackled, because I know, physically, what’s at stake. I’m able to function the way I so choose, at least up to this point. I stay active. … Tomorrow may be totally different. Tomorrow I may not remember who I am, I may not know where I live, and that’s the frightening thing for us football players.”
Here’s the full interview:
When Favre was asked how the game could be safer? He gave a harsh reality response to the situation by advising people to simply “not play” the game.
