Brett Favre Called Concussions A Major NFL 'Taboo' Before Revealing Parkinson's Diagnosis

Before Brett Favre revealed his Parkinson’s diagnosis, the NFL alum explained why he thinks ‘concussion’ is still a dirty word in the world of football.

Favre spoke at length about what the league is doing to protect players in a recent interview on the “Me, Myself & TBI: Facing Traumatic Brain Injury Head On” podcast with host Christina Brown Fisher, which was recorded prior to Favre sharing his diagnosis during a congressional hearing on Tuesday.

During the interview, Favre said he had serious doubts about whether new research into how a traumatic brain injury can affect an athlete’s health will change the way pro footballers play. He said he wonders if the NFL is really doing the most it can to protect players from long-term harm.

The quarterback told Fisher, herself a survivor of TBI, that he would be “shocked” to hear about players even discussing concussions privately, let alone the “repercussions that they may have on their life after.”

″‘Concussion’ is a bad word to the NFL,” he explained, later also calling the topic “taboo.”

Research has shown extensive links between contact sports like football and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative condition which can result in memory loss, depression, anxiety, headaches, stress, sleep disturbances and other neurological issues.

While greater understanding around CTE has promptedthe NFL to introduce new rules and stronger safety measures, like betters helmets and game-day neurologists, Favre said he’s wary of how much impact they’ll have when winning is everything.

“If you can perform, and up the ratings for the NFL, that neurologist is not going to take you out of the game,” he reasoned. “If it’s a Super Bowl and Tom Brady, or Aaron Rodgers, or Patrick Mahomes