The NFL is still America’s most popular sport, but its dominance has been slipping amid increasing knowledge about its long-term effects on the brain and a continually rising NBA. LeBron James previously said he would never allow his kids to play the sport, and now one of its all-time greats has come out with a similar statement. Two sport legend Bo Jackson told USA Today he will not allow his kids to play football, and would not have played the sport himself if had known about the longterm health effects.
“If I knew back then what I know now, I would have never played football,” declared Jackson. “Never. I wish I had known about all of those head injuries, but no one knew that. And the people that did know that, they wouldn’t tell anybody.”
The former NFL and MLB star’s words are probably the strongest against the sport from one of its greatest figures, and one that the league will not enjoy reading. However, Jackson isn’t necessarily bitter. “I still wouldn’t change a thing,” he concluded, despite the fact that a brutal hip dislocation caused him to retire early from football and prematurely ended his MLB career.
Bo Jackson remains the only athlete to be a Pro Bowler in the NFL and an All-Star in the MLB.
[via USA Today]
