Tim Tebow: Concussions a factor in early exit from football

Tim Tebow speaks out about the impact concussions may have had on his career.

New York Mets prospect Tim Tebow says concussions and the injury toll of football played a slight role in his early exit from the NFL, he toldThe Washington Post. 

“I would say, was it a big reason? No,” Tebow said, according to the Post. “Was it a factor? Absolutely. Especially for all the opportunities that I had to play different positions – which I was honored to have – and I didn’t choose those primarily because of injuries or concussions. I chose that because I love playing the quarterback position. And obviously, you could see that when I played, I wasn’t necessarily the most-worried about injuries the way I played, always going head-first. I think there’s definitely a piece that, this is for real. Concussions are real. One day, do I want to have grandkids and be able to hang with them and go play ball and play catch with them? Absolutely. So is that something that’s in the back of your mind? Yeah.”

Tebow suffered a concussion in his senior year at Florida on a hit from Kentucky defenseman Taylor Wyndham. He spent the night in the hospital before being diagnosed with the concussion.

Watch the hit on Tebow below:

• Tim Tebow passed on opportunities to change position, only wanted QB role

Tebow spent six seasons on various NFL rosters, although he has not appeared in an NFL regular season game since 2012, when he was a member of the New York Jets. Tebow said that he has not heard from any NFL teams recently.

Tebow signed a minor league contract with the Mets and also remains on television as a football broadcaster for ESPN. He is expected to report to the Instructional League in Port St. Lucie, Fla., on Sept. 18.