Add New York Jets linebacker Bart Scott to the list of current and former NFL players who don't want their children to pursue a career in football.
Scott told the New York Daily News this week that the threat of long-term health consequences has led him to discourage his seven-year-old son from trying to follow in his father's footsteps.
"I don't want my son to play football," Scott, a 10-year NFL veteran, told the Daily News. "I play football so he won't have to. With what is going on, I don't know if it's really worth it."
The premature deaths of Dave Duerson and Junior Seau have many players concerned what waits for them when a career of punishing their bodies for a living comes to an end.
"He can play baseball. I really don't want him boxing, either, even though he wants to box. I won't let him box. It's not worth it. The most important thing for me is him being around and me being able to spend a long time with him and I'm sure, at the end of the day, all the things I'm able to buy him from playing football, he'd much rather have me."
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Scott's primary concern is the threat of concussions. Scott can't say for sure whether he's ever been concussed himself, but believes he probably has "some damage" because of the physical nature of the linebacker position.
"I'm really going to have to pay attention to my body," he said, discussing his post-NFL life. "The brain is one thing, but also just healing up, making sure that I'm a healthy human being, whatever surgery I have to get to make sure I live a quality life, make sure that I can really flourish in my mid-years and my later years for my children."
Scott's comments are similar to those made by Kurt Warner, the former Pro Bowl quarterback and current NFL Network analyst who doesn't want his sons to play the game. Though Seau's death hasn't been linked to his playing career at this time, it's clear his suicide has sent shockwaves through NFL locker rooms.
