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Auburn legend Bo Jackson says his kids won’t be playing football
By Adam Spencer
Published:
Bo Jackson had quite the college career, rushing for 4,303 yards and 43 touchdowns for the Auburn Tigers from 1982 to 1985.
He then went on to become a star player in both the NFL and MLB, playing for the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Royals before a devastating hip injury ended his career.
However, Jackson’s kids won’t be following in their Heisman-winning father’s footsteps, at least not the football parts of his legacy.
Jackson told USA TODAY that he will let his kids play any sport but football, calling today’s game too violent:
“If I knew now what I had known back then,’’ Jackson tells USA TODAY Sports, “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.
“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.
“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 was being interviewed by USA TODAY because he’s going to be honored with the “Scouts Dream Award” on Saturday night as part of the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation.
It’s safe to say those are the kinds of awards Bo wants his kids to win instead of Heisman trophies or NFL Pro Bowl selections.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
