Former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler played long enough to take plenty of hits. Now that his career is over, Cutler is concerned that he’s taken too many hits to the head.
“I’ve damaged enough things and brain parts and heart and everything in my life, if I make it to 80, or anything after that, I’ll be happy,” Cutler told Clay Skipper of GQ, via the New York Post.
Does he think about Chronic Traumatic Encephelopathy?
“Oh, absolutely,” Cutler said. “I would say definitely my memory isn’t the same as it was five years ago. The amount of concussions I’ve had are probably in the double digits. It’s gonna catch up to me at some point. I’m just trying to delay it as much as possible.”
Cutler says he’s been cutting sugar and increasing fish oil intake to guard against potential cognitive problems.
Like the vast majority of players, however, Cutler has no regrets and he’d do it all over again.
“Absolutely I would,” Cutler said. “I wouldn’t even question it. I’d sign up in a heartbeat. The relationships that I made, the memories that I have, the lifestyle it’s accustomed me and my kids [to]. It outweighs the benefits. In my mind. There may be some people that say, ‘Hey, that’s crazy.’ But I’d do it all over again, no question about it.”
The consequences of CTE still aren’t fully known or understood. Still, every player who played football long enough to get to the NFL understandably has concerns about what the future may entail.