Jets linebacker Bart Scott is the latest player to come forward to say that even though the game of football has been great for his own life, he doesn’t think it’s worth the risk of injury for his son.
Scott told the New York Daily News that even though he has been richly rewarded for playing the game he loves, he doesn’t believe it’s the right sport for most people.
“I don’t want my son to play football,” Scott said. “I play football so he won’t have to. With what is going on, I don’t know if it’s really worth it. . . . I don’t want to have to deal with him getting a concussion and what it would be like later in life.”
Keeping kids inside a protective bubble has plenty of risks, too -- there are a lot more kids struggling with health problems related to obesity than there are kids struggling with health problems related to football -- but Scott said his 7-year-old son will get his exercise through non-contact sports.
“He can play baseball,” Scott said. “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.”
Scott also knows, however, that if a kid is intent on playing football, it’s awfully tough for his parents to stop him.
“I can’t stop him from doing what he wants to do, but I would advise him and try to push other things in his face that may interest him,” he said. “The more you tell him not to, the more he’s going to do it. I would support it, because he’s my son, but I also would try to push baseball in his face.”
If 7-year-old B.J. is as intense as his dad, it’s probably safe to say he can’t wait to get out on the football field, no matter how much his dad tries to steer him in another direction.