In part one of our interview with NFL legend Brett Favre, we talked about the lack of public education when it came to head-to-turf injuries being sustained by athletes at all levels in the new documentary “Shocked: The Hidden Factor in the Sports Concussion Crisis“.

In part two, we discuss the state of concussions in today’s NFL, and the head injuries Favre, himself, endured during the course of his Hall of Fame career.

TW: What were your thoughts on the Cam Newton hit on Sunday during the game against the Saints? He took a vicious hit, got taken off to the sidelines, and then was right back on the field. What do you think about that?

BF: Obviously, I’ve been there before. I’ve been right where he has been and although I never missed a game because of a concussion, the protocol was not in place until … Well, I shouldn’t say that. I ended my career with a concussion, but I played 321, one after another, before that. That’s with concussions, but there was no protocol in place. Is it 100% foolproof? No. Are they making strides? Yes. My understanding, the rules are that if a concussion has occurred or even the thought that a concussion has occurred, that the designated neurologist that’s appointed on the sidelines or in the booth, supposedly is unaffiliated with the team, if I’m saying that correctly.

If he thinks that a concussion has occurred, you’re out. That’s kind of my understanding. I don’t know if Cam got a concussion or if his right eye … I don’t know. I was a little bit surprised that he went back in. Not questioning his toughness at all, but I’m talking about, “I’m sorry Cam, we just can’t let you go in until we know for sure. We can’t take your word that you’re fine. Vicious hit, you’re saying that you’ve got some eye issues, blah, blah, blah. We just can’t risk it.” I may be totally off and I don’t know all the ins and outs of what happened. What was said, what was done, but my understanding is that’s the way that football is laid out.

TW: You talked about playing with concussions during your career. Do you think concussions weren’t a big issue back then because there wasn’t the education and available studies like now? Or do you think that it was just something that was overlooked as a mild headache?

BF: Well, I think that the knowledge back then was not near where it is today and, fact is, I think that there’s still a long ways to go in what a concussion is, and tells, and the repercussions down the road. The fact is it wasn’t that long ago, I started in ’92. I obviously played football before that, but there was no concussion protocol. Concussions were an issue, but only in the sense that if you were completely … Kind of like boxing. I kind of use boxing all the time. If a guy is knocked out cold, and he goes stiff, and first thing hits is his face on the mat, we all know he’s had a concussion.

How many times has a boxer been jabbed and saw stars, his ears were ringing, he was a little bit dizzy, and we never even know about it? Thousands, millions of times. Every boxing match probably you could say that. Football is the same, maybe even more so. Every time I got tackles or hit my head on the turf, there was some type of ringing, maybe there was a little fogginess. There’s no way in hell you would even consider coming out of a game or a coach considering sitting you because you have a little head ringing. That was like, “Are you kidding me?” No one knew. No one knew that concussion would linger for the rest of your life.

TW: Was it shocking to you to find out that even at the high school level, kids were already suffering the long-term effects of concussions?

BF: Again, I use the term shocking. It was a shocking revelation to me. Being involved in the NFL for 20 years, growing up watching it, and playing football myself, starting in the fifth grade. You would think that I would have been either around someone or a group where that has happened or had that happen myself. It was a total shock to me. Now, looking back, it really isn’t. I’m surprised that more have not … I think more will be revealed. More people will come to the attention of everyone. This is a lot bigger than we actually know and think.

TW: Do you think there needs to be a collective effort made by the NFL to change the playing surfaces?

BF: I think collectively it should be something that we all are looking for the right solution or the best solution. I do know that it will cost money, but in the end 20 years from now you and I are having this conversation and things have gotten a lot better. Maybe the surface has gotten a lot safer. I’m sure in 20 years, it’s hard to imagine, but guys will be bigger, stronger, and faster. We keep saying that every year and I think that’s one of the biggest issues that we’re seeing that it’s so surprising.

I don’t think we’ll change. When I say change, I don’t think it will go the other way, meaning guys will get smaller, they’ll get slower. I think what’s going to happen is what continues to happen. The quality of the athlete will go up. Our brains are not meant to take that pounding at that speed and so on and so forth. You do all you can collectively to make it as safe as possible and shed all the information that you possibly can shed to the general public. I got to imagine that owners, yeah, he wants to make money, but he also wants to be as safe as possible and have an environment that’s as safe as possible for his team. I would think the NFL would want the same thing. There’s no doubt that it will get done quicker and more efficiently if we do it together.