Uploaded August 2021 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre urges parents to wait to enroll their children in tackle football until age 14 in our newest PSA. The PSA aims to educate parents on research showing that their child’s odds of developing CTE double every additional three years they play tackle football.
“Having kids play tackle football before high school is just not worth the risk,” said Favre, who started in a record 297 consecutive NFL games over 19 seasons and is widely regarded as the toughest man to ever play the game. “CTE is a terrible disease, and we need to do everything we can to prevent it for the next generation of football players.”
While the overall prevalence of CTE in the high school football population is unknown and cannot be determined from a brain bank sample, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs – Boston University – Concussion Legacy Foundation (VA-BU-CLF) Brain Bank reports that 16 of 65 high school football players – who never played in college or professionally – have been diagnosed with CTE. 15 of the 16 players with CTE started playing tackle football before age 14.
The PSA implores parents to choose flag football instead of tackle for their children to reduce their exposure to repetitive head impacts. According to the CDC, in flag football a typical youth player will receive about 8 head impacts a year, while in tackle they will receive 378.
Find more information at concussionfoundation.org/Favre4Flag
Choose Flag Football Under 14 at concussionfoundation.org/programs/flag-football
Want to learn more about CTE? concussionfoundation.org/CTE-resources/what-is-CTE
Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre urges parents to wait to enroll their children in tackle football until age 14 in our newest PSA. The PSA aims to educate parents on research showing that their child’s odds of developing CTE double every additional three years they play tackle football.
“Having kids play tackle football before high school is just not worth the risk,” said Favre, who started in a record 297 consecutive NFL games over 19 seasons and is widely regarded as the toughest man to ever play the game. “CTE is a terrible disease, and we need to do everything we can to prevent it for the next generation of football players.”
While the overall prevalence of CTE in the high school football population is unknown and cannot be determined from a brain bank sample, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs – Boston University – Concussion Legacy Foundation (VA-BU-CLF) Brain Bank reports that 16 of 65 high school football players – who never played in college or professionally – have been diagnosed with CTE. 15 of the 16 players with CTE started playing tackle football before age 14.
The PSA implores parents to choose flag football instead of tackle for their children to reduce their exposure to repetitive head impacts. According to the CDC, in flag football a typical youth player will receive about 8 head impacts a year, while in tackle they will receive 378.
Find more information at concussionfoundation.org/Favre4Flag
Choose Flag Football Under 14 at concussionfoundation.org/programs/flag-football
Want to learn more about CTE? concussionfoundation.org/CTE-resources/what-is-CTE
