National Football League

Bo Jackson on punishment Cam Newton and other players take: 'It scares the hell out of me'

Published Jan. 17, 2017 6:10 p.m. ET

Nick Schwartz

Two-sport phenom Bo Jackson raised eyebrows last week by stating that if he could do it all over again, he would choose to never play football. Jackson cited the greater awareness of long-term health risks like CTE, and said that the game of football is so 'violent' now that he wouldn't think of allowing his own children to play the game.

In a follow-up inteview with USA TODAY Sports, the former Auburn Tigers star said that it's difficult for him to watch fellow Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton take hits.

Via USA TODAY Sports:

"The person I love in the NFL like my own son is Cam Newton (also a Heisman winner from Auburn). I cuss him out like my own son. But every time he takes a hit to his head, that scares me, it scares the hell out of me.

I witnessed him getting hit hard twice, and both times go to the locker room. I know he can take care of himself, but it still scares me. I care about all of those players playing, I don’t want to see anybody getting hurt."

"I’m also getting people saying I know nothing about concussions and head injuries. Let me tell you this, I speak on concussions because I’ve had a couple. I speak on CTE because I have a tendency to forget little things like where I put my keys five minutes ago. Or I forget what items I came to the grocery store for. I had my bell rung a couple of times while I was with the Raiders. One time I got up off the field, came to the other sideline, and actually sat on the wrong bench."