NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre does not want young kids playing tackle football. In a new public service announcement, Favre urged parents not to allow children under the age of 14 to play tackle football.
He explained that the longer people play tackle football, the more likely they will develop the fatal brain disease Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). CTE can only be diagnosed after a person has died.
"Having kids play before high school is just not worth the risk," Favre said in a statement. "CTE is a terrible disease, and we need to do everything we can to prevent it for the next generation of football players."
Favre, who took his fair share of hits during his 20 seasons in the NFL, told NBC'sTODAY that he may have CTE and not even know it.
"I don't know what normal feels like. Do I have CTE? I really don't know," Favre said. "Concussions are a very, very serious thing, and we're just scraping the surface of how severe they are."
"[There is] no telling how many concussions I've had, and what are the repercussions of that, there's no answer," Favre added.
Favre said that he won't encourage his three grandkids, ages 11, 7, and 4, to play football because of the risks associated with CTE.
"If they choose to play, I will support them, but I'm not going to encourage them in any way to play. That surprises a lot of people, but I'm just fearful of what concussions can do," Favre said. "And it only takes one. Maybe I have had a thousand... It's just too risky. I'm not going to encourage them to play until there's a treatment."
You can watch the PSA below: