Brett Favre believes he had 'probably thousands' of concussions, and now calls the uncertainty of his future mental health 'very scary'
- Legendary quarterback Brett Favre believes he may have had "thousands" of concussions during his football career.
- Favre suffers from short-term memory issues, among other things, and is worried those might be early signs of CTE.
- Favre has become outspoken about concussion issues in contact sports, even saying that he hopes his grandsons don't play football.
- Still, he doesn't regret becoming a professional football player himself.
Brett Favre was known for his legendary toughness and "Iron Man" starting streak during his 20-year NFL career, but now he's worried about the toll football is taking on his brain.
"You don't remember what you're doing, can't remember where your car keys are, how to get home," Favre said in a video clip shown on Megyn Kelly TODAY.
In an interview with Kelly, Favre said that he only knew for sure that he had three or four concussions, but suspects he had "hundreds, probably thousands" of concussions in his career.
"There's a term that is often used in football, and maybe in other sports, that I got 'dinged' . . . 'dinged" is a concussion. When you have ringing of the ears, seeing stars, that's a concussion."
Now, Favre frequently experiences short term memory issues, and that, "Simple words that normally would come out easy, in a conversation, I'll stammer," and he's worried these may be the early warning signs of CTE.
"Tomorrow I may be in great health, but I don't know who I am or where I'm going. So it can happen overnight, and I know it's not as dramatic as that, but that's the scary thing. And so no matter what I do to try to take care of myself physically, that is a part of my future that I really can't control, and that is very scary."
Favre has become vocal on the issue of concussions in sports, even producing a documentary called "Shocked" about the issue. And he's expressed concern about young players playing contact sports.
"If I had a son myself . . . I would really, really strongly discourage him from playing," Favre said. He has also previously mentioned that he hopes his grandsons do not play football, per CBS Sports.
Still, despite all of this, Favre says he does not regret becoming a pro football player himself.
"My football career has meant a great deal to me and has provided a lot of things, a lot of joy, for not only me but for my family.
"I look at [my career] as something wonderful."