National Football League

Favre: I'd 'be leery' of football for son

Published Nov. 15, 2013 12:00 a.m. ET

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Good news for Bob Costas' hypothetical son: If he needed someone to watch football with, he could call Brett Favre's hypothetical son.

Favre, speaking to "Today Show" host Matt Lauer this week, followed Costas in declaring that if he had a son, he wouldn't want him to play football.

Favre recently talked about the toll playing football has had on his life. He told Washington sports station WSPZ-AM he’s still dealing with the effects of a hit-filled career.

“I don’t remember my daughter playing soccer, playing youth soccer, one summer,” Favre told WSPZ. “I don’t remember that. I got a pretty good memory, and I have a tendency like we all do to say, ‘Where are my glasses?’ and they’re on your head. This was pretty shocking to me that I couldn’t remember my daughter playing youth soccer, just one summer, I think. I remember her playing basketball, I remember her playing volleyball, so I kind of think maybe she only played a game or two. I think she played eight.

"So that’s a little bit scary to me. For the first time in 44 years, that put a little fear in me. … I think after 20 years, God only knows the toll.”

New youth football enrollment numbers seem to suggest that Costas and Favre aren’t the only ones who share this feeling.

The NBC broadcaster made the declaration during an appearance on Slate’s Hang Up and Listen podcast, telling the hosts that the sport’s benefits do not outweigh the risks.

“I’d tell them no,” Costas said when asked if he’d let his kid play. “I know that goes viral tomorrow. … I know many, many thoughtful people in football … who belie the stereotype that we think we’ve got coming out of the Dolphins locker room, very thoughtful people where football has shaped their lives in a positive way, so I’m not going to paint everyone with a broad brush.

“Maybe the better answer is: Be advised of the extreme dangers, know what you’re getting into. But let me put it this way: If it were my son and he was 13 years old and had reasonable athletic ability, I would encourage him to play baseball, or to play basketball or to play soccer or something other than football.”

Costas' statement comes alongside a new report that Pop Warner participation is down 9.5 percent between 2010 and 2012. According to data provided to Outside the Lines, a record 248,899 played Pop Warner football in 2010, but that number fell to 225,287 by the 2012 season. Additionally, participation in USA Football dropped 6.7 percent in that same span.

Dr. Julian Bailes, Pop Warner’s chief medical officer, said the decline can be attributed mostly to the increase in awareness about head injuries.

"Unless we deal with these truths, we're not going to get past the dropping popularity of the sport and people dropping out of the sport," Bailes told OTL. "We need to get it right."

Youth football isn’t going anywhere just because Costas or Favre is taking a stand against it, and it's uncertain what Costas and others have in mind when they speak about the dangers of the sport. They’re just looking to find a safer way for kids to play, and as long as that remains the goal, it’s a crusade that's tough to argue against.

NESN contributed to this report.

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