It didn't take long for the speculation to commence linking Junior Seau's tragic death to head trauma from a 20-year football career.
Premature? Absolutely. But it is a talking point, and so here we are. Thursday on "The Dan Patrick Show," former quarterback and current NFL Network analyst Kurt Warner discussed his reservations about his sons pursuing a football career.
"Scares me. They both have the dream, like Dad, to play in the NFL. That's their goal," Warner said. "When you hear things like the bounty, when you know certain things having played the game. And then obviously when you understand the size, the speed, the violence of the game, and you couple that with situations like Junior Seau and was that a ramification of all those years playing?
"I just wonder -- I wonder what the league's going to be like," Warner added.
"I love the fact that Commissioner is doing a lot of things to try to clean up the game from that standpoint and improve player safety, which helps, in my mind, a lot. But it's a scary thing for me.”
Warner was asked if he would prefer his children not play football.
"Yes, I would," Warner said. "I can't make that choice for them, but there's no question in my mind."
Warner's sons might not suit up for their high school teams, but plenty of other sons will. The big question is how much of risk this represents.