Once considered one of the toughest quarterbacks in Dallas Cowboys history, Troy Aikman has long been questioned about whether his health has taken setbacks because of the sport. With more cases of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) coming to light, Aikman was asked about his concerns and whether he spends any time worrying about what the future might hold because of his career.

“A little bit,” Troy Aikman said on Dallas Dialogue with Dale, when asked about whether he has doubted harboring the illness. “[To] say that I don’t think about it from time to time would be less than honest, but I have been tested very well. I’m acutely aware of if I feel that where my memory is or head issues or things of that nature that some of these players are going through – unfortunately, some of my former teammates have been dealt some tough hands that they’re going through – and yet that hasn’t happened.

“I do think the broadcasting helps. I know what I have to be able to recall. So, I think the studying for that, the preparation, the calling the games, it’s, I guess, a bit of a test on a weekly basis as to where I’m at. But also I’ve kind of tried to be proactive. I’m totally into all the biohacking. I mean, it’s ridiculous what my day involves to try to remain as healthy as I possibly can. And I think that that helps as well. I think lifestyle plays into it as well.

“But up to this point, you know, I feel good. I’ve had no issues whatsoever. But to say that it doesn’t play into my thinking from time to time, that wouldn’t be accurate.”

Troy Aikman took some brutal hits during his playing days, two of them serious enough that he still calls them “severe” concussions. In his 12-year career, he has been noted for 11 concussions in total. That kind of impact on the brain is worth some concern. During his time, there was no proper research on CTE and its relation to NFL players.

Aikman took a nasty blow to the head in the 1993 season, and it had scared fans at the time. While playing the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game, he suffered a concussion. In a PBS documentary, Aikman’s agent, Leigh Steinberg, said that when he was in the hospital, the quarterback kept asking about the game despite having been told repeatedly.

Today, Aikman has no memory of the game.

However, the former quarterback was still open to unretiring and coming back to the NFL. He said in 2013 that he had been checked extensively and had no symptoms of these concussions. But today, the concerns of CTE and its growing prominence in current and even younger players are very alarming.

“When I was playing and for those generations who played before me, the thought was, ‘Okay, you are playing a game that you love, you are compensated well for it, and when you get out, you may have a slight limp or some fingers that don’t bend properly,’” Aikman told Sports Illustrated. “With head injuries, that is a whole different animal. Talking about getting out of the game and then not be able to have your memory or your facilities, I think that has put a little different spin on it for the current players who have to weigh the data the research they have, all of which is more than we had before.”

Football has changed a lot since Aikman’s time. During those years, the sport was mostly known for its toughness and the brawn the players brought to the field. Today, the physicality is there, but so is the necessary caution to prevent debilitating conditions. Aikman’s time didn’t have that luxury.