Tim Tebow, the former NFL quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner who last week signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets, said the higher incidence of concussions in football influenced his choice to stop pursuing the sport professionally.
“I would say, was it a big reason? No. Was it a factor? Absolutely,” Tebow said in an interview with the Washington Post. “Especially for all the opportunities that I had to play different positions – which I was honored to have – and I didn’t choose those primarily because of injuries or concussions. I chose that because I love playing the quarterback position. And obviously, you could see that when I played, I wasn’t necessarily the most worried about injuries the way I played, always going head first.
“I think there’s definitely a piece that, this is for real. Concussions are real. One day, do I want to have grandkids and be able to hang with them and go play ball and play catch with them? Absolutely. So is that something that’s in the back of your mind? Yeah.”
The 29-year-old, who saw regular-season action in three NFL seasons with the Denver Broncos and New York Jets in addition to brief practice-squad stints with the Eagles and Patriots, was signed by the Mets earlier this month and will report on Monday to the three-week instructional league in Port St Lucie, Florida.
