Favre Reveals Football Has Taken Toll On His Memory
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- For 20 seasons, Brett Favre stared down some of the biggest, meanest players in the NFL, and won.
Now retired, 44-year-old Favre says his memory loss is far more frightening than anything he faced on the field.
Favre made the revelation in an interview.
This week, the Saint Louis Rams asked Favre to come out of retirement like he's done a bunch of times already, but this time, Favre said no.
After that he revealed that he has trouble remembering things, like events involving his own kids, and that has him scared.
"So, that's a little bit scary for me. For the first time in 44 years, that's put a little fear in me," he says.
Favre played a record 297 regular season games in a row, was sacked 525 times, and suffered an unknown number of concussions, including a career-ending shot that left him unconscious.
"I don't remember my daughter playing soccer, playing youth soccer one summer. I don't remember that," Favre says.
The fallout from multiple concussions is not a new problem facing pro football veterans.
In August, the NFL agreed to pay $765,000,000 to settle lawsuits from more than 4,000 former players; all who claimed their conditions were caused by repeated blows to the head.
Former New York Jets' sideline physician Dr. Robert Glatter says Farve's symptoms are typical.
"Often the CT scans or the initial scans we do after a suspected head injury which is severe, may be normal but there's functional changes; changes involving memory orientation, which basically defines what a concussion is," Glatter says.
Favre says he knows his career has taken a toll on his body.
It's something many younger players admit they still don't worry much about.
"That comes with football, if that happens down the line, it happens. It's something I can't control right now," Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell says.
Favre played the majority of his career before there were tougher rules about protecting quarterbacks and before head-to-head hits were outlawed.
He says he's considered having tests done on his brain to get a more detailed diagnosis, but said even if he does that, there isn't much doctors can do in terms of treatment.
Favre says he's just going to try to enjoy retirement the best he can.
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