In the last several years, there has been a growing concern with the long-term health of the players since the diagnoses of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) and correlation to concussions. It has led to more players coming out publicly about their personal dealings with health issues over their career and beyond it.

One of the more vocal voices in that regard over the last couple of years has been Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre. During a recent interview on CNN, the 48-year-old talked about his fears of losing himself mentally.

“I am afraid of not only my future, but of other players … intentionally playing the game, knowing that the repercussions could be life threatening. I have one who’s eight, three and a newborn. And they have not decided, at least the 8 year old, to play football. I’m not going to encourage him to play football. I’m not saying I would discourage him, but I would be cringing every time I saw my grandson get tackled, because I know, physically, what’s at stake. I’m able to function the way I so choose, at least up to this point. I stay active. … Tomorrow may be totally different. Tomorrow I may not remember who I am, I may not know where I live, and that’s the frightening thing for us football players.”

Favre built a strong reputation as one of the league's iron men during his playing days. He played 321 consecutive games despite dealing with numerous injuries. However, this battle through the various ailments that he suffered throughout has stuck with them even in retirement.

brett favre
Brian Peterson/Star Tribune

The gravest concerns deal with his mental ability as many of his peers have shown symptoms of CTE over the years. Favre may be at risk given that he suffered more concussions than he can count, but at this point, he hasn't gotten to the stage where it is clear that he has this brain condition.

At the same time, there is a true sense of fear from Favre that many other NFL players both former and current hold about their long-term health. There is a real chance that this is something that could develop over time given what they have gone through their respective careers. Favre isn't the first and won't be the last to express these type of sentiments about an extremely real outcome from playing football.