Antwaan Randle El: I should have played baseball

Antwaan Randle El, the former University of Indiana quarterback who went on to play nine years in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Redskins, says he wishes he'd played baseball rather than becoming a pro football player.

In a feature piece in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that talks about numerous former Steelers, Randle El talks about his memory lapses and trouble walking on stairs, and says talks about his regret in his decision on what sport to play:

Randle El didn’t hesitate when asked if he regrets playing football.

“If I could go back, I wouldn’t,” he said. “I would play baseball. I got drafted by the Cubs in the 14th round, but I didn’t play baseball because of my parents. They made me go to school. Don’t get me wrong, I love the game of football. But right now, I could still be playing baseball.”

Randle El has founded a private high school in Virginia which has dropped football, and while financial reasons drove the decision, Randle El says that health issues alone would "easily justify" a school dropping football.

Scary and eye-opening stuff.