Will Shields would play football again despite concussion risk

Will Shields says he would play football again despite his knowledge of the long-term concussion risks.

Hall of Fame offensive lineman Will Shields says he would play football again despite his knowledge of the long-term concussion risks, he told FoxBusiness.com.

“Any time you’re an athlete and you have a stinger or whatever, you don’t want to report that,” Shields said. “Am I really hurt, or is it an injury? There is a difference. If I’m just hurt, I can walk and talk and work my way through it, but if it’s a true injury, that’s when you need to sit out. We’ve been taught at a young age, ‘Hey, walk it off, it’s okay, rub some dirt on it.

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“I still would play the game. I love the game. If I could still run and jump and do all that stuff, I would play right now.”

Shields never missed a game in his 14 NFL seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, where he made 12 Pro Bowl teams in his career.

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Shields now supports the Dynavision “D2,” which helps with concussion prevention and diagnosis. Last year 271 players were diagnosed with a concussion, which is an increase from 206 in 2014.