Brett Favre Says No Contact Football For Kids Under 14

Former Packers, Vikings and Jets (yeah, I forgot about that Jets year too) quarterback Brett Favre is speaking out against tackle football at the youth level. The Hall of Fame gunslinger is of the opinion that children should stick with flag football until turning 14. In a PSA for the Concussion Legacy Foundation, Favre agreed with the Foundation's suggestion to keep younger athletes out of pads to help prevent CTE.

Citing the effects of CTE: depression, struggling to keep thoughts straight, and violence, Favre, along with the Concussion Legacy Foundation, urged parents to choose flag football over tackle until age 14.

The PSA cites research that shows the odds of a football player developing CTE (a progressive brain condition thought to be caused by repeated blows to the head and repeated episodes of concussions) doubles every three years that they participate in tackle football.

Favre appeared on CNN in response to his PSA appearance: “Well a concussion, a major concussion, I think all concussions are major by the way, ended my career,” Favre said. “I was in my 20th year, but still my last play was a major concussion in which I had memory loss and was out for a period of time on the field.”

Favre's intentions are pure. But no pads before age 14? That may be a tough concept to tackle for most of the football crazed United States.