McMahon: 'The Whole Game Has Changed'
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Jim McMahon, quarterback for the Super Bowl winning Chicago Bears, shows he still has a special flare.
He sat down with CBS 2's Dave Savini recently and when asked if the Chicago Bears would be in next year's Super Bowl, McMahon says, "They might be, but monkeys could fly out of my a#*% also."
Back in the 1980's, McMahon showed his talents on the field and had plenty of antics off the field. He is known for his sunglasses and headbands and his hair style which lead to him being called the "Punky QB". He was also known for his ability to win despite a career of devastating hits.
"Those are the things that really get the brain sloshing around," said McMahon.
He does not watch football that closely anymore, not even the Bears.
"I check the scores on ESPN like everybody else," said McMahon who does have plenty of Bears memorabilia adorning his walls.
The former quarterback has watched current quarterback Jay Cutler play.
"You know he's got a great arm, I know that," said McMahon.
On Lovie Smith, McMahon points out all of Smith's playoff runs and this past season.
"To go 10 and 6 and get fired, that's pretty rough," said McMahon who says he does not know the new coach, Marc Trestman, but heard from trusted sources that he is a good coach.
McMahon does have a lot to say about today's NFL rules.
"The whole game has changed," said McMahon. "Guys on defense are getting flagged for legal hits. That's got to stop or it's going to ruin the game."
His 15 years on the field have left McMahon with 15 surgeries and numerous concussions which are being blamed for him suffering early-onset dementia. McMahon says when he played, concussions only kept players out of the game for a few minutes. He says they would get smelling salts and get back in the game.
"As long as you can follow the doctor's finger, and your headache isn't that bad, you are going back in," said McMahon. "Repeated head trauma is going to cause problems to the brain."
These days he is in constant pain and can rarely golf like he used to. He struggles with short term memory loss and does puzzles to help strengthen his mind.
He is living a quieter life these days at his home carved into the foothills of an Arizona mountain where he is enjoying the dry heat: "Feels much better on the body."
His girlfriend, Laurie Navon, lives with him along with their three dogs.
He says football bores him now and was not even his favorite sport.
"I always wanted to play baseball," says McMahon. "That was my love."
