Jim McMahon: He Would Have Played Baseball if He Knew What Football Head Injuries Could Do to Him

For years, Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon was the image of a rock ‘n’ roll persona in the NFL: the hit-absorbing gunslinger who played hard on and off the field.

In recent years, however, McMahon has been the image of the burgeoning tragedy of former NFL players who are fighting dementia or other life-altering injuries incurred from their days in the league. As research continues into the effects of concussions and hard hits, especially on players who didn’t take time to rest or recover in between the brutal blows, McMahon’s life has become a cautionary tale of the worst effects of playing in the NFL as he fights severe memory loss in his 50s.

...“Had I known about that stuff early on in my career, I probably would have chosen a different career. I always wanted to be a baseball player anyway.”

McMahon called the sport his “first love” and said he would have preferred baseball in college if he could have played it on scholarship.

“But football paid for everything,” he said. “It still does. [And] that Super Bowl XX team is still as popular as it ever was. Until [the Bears] win again, we’re gonna still make money.”

Thanks to Butch.