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I struggle when it comes to my relationship with football. I love it so much because of what it instills, and what it gave me \u2013 it provided me the pathway to meet my wife and provided professional opportunities I wouldn\u2019t have had otherwise. At the same time, there are systemic problems around the sport in terms of head injuries and long-term impact to players\u2019 brains.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s not to say I want football to disappear. The game is ingrained into American culture.\u00a0I want to love the sport \u2013 I love the violence.\u00a0I was the violence<\/em>.<\/strong>\u00a0I learned to stick my head down and not use my hands. I had to switch helmets out halfway into a\u00a0season because the paint was peeling off. One training camp I had to replace my face mask several\u00a0times.<\/p>\n But I want a way to\u00a0make the sport safer, to spread awareness and education, and to find treatments for those struggling with injuries and their effects<\/strong>. I want young athletes to know what they are getting into. I certainly didn\u2019t at the high school or even college level. I didn\u2019t pay attention to head trauma until I was done playing and looking back on it, I definitely had teammates who had issues.<\/p>\n By taking part in\u00a0Concussion Tribute\u2122 donations, I want to offset some of the burden of guilt and enjoy football in a way that ensures I\u2019m doing good for it in the long run.\u00a0Ultimately, I hope scientific research helps advance football and I can still see a safe, responsible version of the sport I love 50 years from now.<\/strong><\/p>\n