Barack Obama Not Sure He Would Let Son Play Football, Thinks NCAA Should Address Concussions

Barack Obama is a football fan. Like many fans he faces the same ethical dilemma with the sport and head injuries: loving watching it, but being wary about letting children play it. He addressed the issue during an interview with the New Republic.

"“I’m a big football fan, but I have to tell you, if I had a son, I’d have to think long and hard before I let him play football,” President Barack Obama tells The New Republic. "

President Obama also believes the NCAA should do more to address player safety.

"“The NFL players have a union, they’re grown men, they can make some of these decisions on their own, and most of them are well-compensated for the violence they do to their bodies,” Obama said. “You read some of these stories about college players who undergo some of these same problems with concussions and so forth and then have nothing to fall back on. That’s something that I’d like to see the NCAA think about.” "

The NCAA, currently investigating itself for improper conduct, cares about two things: keeping its basketball tournament tax-free and public opinion. Brain damage caused by head injuries? Rampant, unregulated painkiller use on people not getting paid for this? Nah. The NCAA has more serious issues to address, such as college students smoking the marijuana, which is less dangerous than playing football.

[Photo via USA Today Sports]