"I’d smack them in the mouth if they said they wanted to play football" - Bo Jackson once confessed he would never allow his kids to play in the NFL

Former NFL running back Bo Jackson was one of the greatest athletes of all time. The former Pro Bowler played in the NFL for four seasons from 1987 to 1990 before retiring due to a hip injury.

Looking back at his career, Jackson spoke with USA TODAY Sports on 27th October,2022 in which he said that if he knew what he knew now, he would have never played in the NFL.

Jackson said:

“If I knew back then what I know now. I would have never played football. Never. I wish I had known about all of those head injuries, but no one knew that. And the people that did know that, they wouldn’t tell anybody."

Jackson added that he would never allow his children to play football because of how physical the game is.

He added:

“The game has gotten so violent, so rough. We’re so much more educated on this CTE stuff (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), there’s no way I would ever allow my kids to play football today.

He continued:

"Even though I love the sport, I’d smack them in the mouth if they said they wanted to play football. I’d tell them, 'Play baseball, basketball, soccer, golf, just anything but football."

Jackson suffered a season-ending hip injury in a playoff victory over the Bengals in January 1991 which forced him to retire from the NFL.

Bo Jackson was a two-sport professional athlete

Texas Rangers v Chicago White Sox

Football wasn't the only sport that Jackson played professionally. Jackson was in the MLB from 1986-1994.

Bo always had the idea of being a two-sport athlete. He said that it was on his mind in college while stating that the only other team in the NFL he would have played for would have been the 49ers and the Raiders.

Jackson said:

“I always had it in my mind, even in college. I wanted to do both sports, even at the pro level. There were only a couple of other teams out there I would have played for at that time, the Raiders and 49ers.

Jackson rushed for 2,782 yards and 16 touchdowns in four seasons in the NFL, averaging 5.4 yards per carry.

He had 141 home runs, 598 hits, 341 runs, and 415 RBIs in his MLB career representing Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox, and California Angels.

He was one of the greatest athletes of all time, and if he had known what he knows now back then, he might not have become a football player.

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