Brett Favre Says Talking About Concussions Is ‘Taboo’ In NFL

Before Brett Favre revealed his Parkinson’s diagnosis, the NFL alum explained why he thinks ‘concussion’ is still a dirty word in the world of football.

Favre spoke at length about what the league is doing to protect players in a recent interview on the “Me, Myself & TBI: Facing Traumatic Brain Injury Head On” podcast with host Christina Brown Fisher, which was recorded prior to Favre sharing his diagnosis during a congressional hearing on Tuesday.

During the interview, Favre said he had serious doubts about whether new research into how a traumatic brain injury can affect an athlete’s health will change the way pro footballers play. He said he wonders if the NFL is really doing the most it can to protect players from long-term harm.

The quarterback told Fisher, herself a survivor of TBI, that he would be “shocked” to hear about players even discussing concussions privately, let alone the “repercussions that they may have on their life after.”

″‘Concussion’ is a bad word to the NFL,” he explained, later also calling the topic “taboo.”

Research has shown extensive links between contact sports like football and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative condition which can result in memory loss, depression, anxiety, headaches, stress, sleep disturbances and other neurological issues.

While greater understanding around CTE has prompted the NFL to introduce new rules and stronger safety measures, like betters helmets and game-day neurologists, Favre said he’s wary of how much impact they’ll have when winning is everything.

“If you can perform, and up the ratings for the NFL, that neurologist is not going to take you out of the game,” he reasoned. “If it’s a Super Bowl and Tom Brady, or Aaron Rodgers, or Patrick Mahomes or any player with a high value gets tackled and shakes his head, you think that neurologist is going to pull that player out of the game?”

The Pro Football Hall of Famer also discussed with Fisher how traumatic brain injuries aren’t treated with the same gravity as other types of injuries.

Remarking on how New York Jets quarterback Rodgers’ season-ending injury dominated headlines last year, Favre said, “Had he suffered a major concussion on that play rather than [tearing his] Achilles [tendon], I think we[’d have] had a total different dialogue after that.”

While the retired Green Bay Packers star said he believes the NFL “feels obligated to protect players,” he also said that “the most important thing for the NFL is money and ratings.”

But when it comes down to getting back on the field after a serious hit, Favre said the decision is ultimately up to each player.

“Players, first and foremost, have to take the initiative on what they feel is best for their body,” he said, adding, “You can’t necessarily hold the team 100% accountable for [your] life after.”

Favre, who was known for his relentless grit during his staggering 20 seasons in the league, also told Fisher that he would have tried to be “a little less reckless” on the field if he knew what he knows now during his days as a pro.

He said he thinks he’s probably endured somewhere around a thousand concussions during his career. “I mean, it’s kind of like asking Muhammad Ali how many jabs have you had,” he told Fisher.

On Tuesday, Favre went public with his Parkinson’s diagnosis while testifying about allegations of fraud in the Mississippi welfare system in front of the House Ways and Means Committee on Capitol Hill.

Favre was a top investor in the drug manufacturer, Prevacus, which promised to be developing a new treatment for concussion and received $2 million of Mississippi’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF, funds.

You can listen to Favre’s full interview here.