Bo Jackson has developed strong anti-football opinions

Jordan Heck

Bo Jackson has developed strong anti-football opinions image

There's a myth that "football players know what they're getting into" when they sign up to play. That's true to a point, but before the wave of coverage and awareness of brain injury through recent years, many players did not know about the dangers of concussions.

Include the legendary running back Bo Jackson in that category. Speaking with MMQB.com, Jackson revealed how serious he takes the issue of concussions. The dual-sport athlete isn't sure he would have played both football and baseball had he been completely informed.

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"I am one of the fortunate ones," Jackson said. "I don’t think anyone who has ever strapped on the helmet and shoulder pads hasn’t had their bell rung. I had my bell rung once. It’s not anything to play with, now I know that. I went and watched the movie ("Concussion") and there were people I knew, that I was friends with, that were gone that I didn’t even know they were gone.

"If I had young kids, to be honest, and if they came and said, 'Dad, I want to play football,' I’d smack them in the mouth. No. No. Because if I’d have known back then what I know now, to be honest with you, I probably would have taken a different path. I probably just would have played baseball."

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Jackson is in the College Football Hall of Fame for the insane numbers he put up at Auburn. He didn't play much in the NFL, appearing in only 38 games over four seasons with the Raiders before retiring from football with a hip injury. But when he did play, Jackson was dominant. He finished his career with a 5.4 yards per carry average.

Jackson also hit .250 with 141 home runs in parts of eight seasons in the majors with the Royals, White Sox and Angels.

Jordan Heck

Jordan Heck Photo

Jordan Heck is a Social Media Producer at Sporting News. Before working here, he was a Digital Content Producer at The Indianapolis Star. He graduated with a degree from Indiana University.