When Drew Desbordes, aka comedian Druski, performed a skit as a football player with a head injury who develops aberrant behavior due to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), there was a wave of criticism. Former NFL Safety TJ Ward was among the loudest voices calling out Druski for his skit, noting that “these are life-and-death situations” and shouldn’t be made fun of.

But when this topic landed on the 4th&1 podcast, legendary quarterback Cam Newton had a completely different question to ask: “Is he (Druski) talking about CTE or is he talking about bad decision-making?”

As the conversation continued with co-host Peggy, Newton noted that TJ Ward had made a valid point on his Speakeasy podcast. But when Peggy asked whether Newton ever blamed the NFL for putting his health at risk, Newton admitted he’s faced some issues, but also pushed back hard.

“I’m too naive to accept that, and that’s my negligence,” Newton said. “There’s times where I do suffer from anger issues. There’s some times I do suffer from depression. Sometimes I do suffer from just.. I don’t know what’s wrong. But I think all humans can go through that, too. So, yes, do I want to admit to having some form of CTE? No. But I guess we’ll never know.”

Now, CTE is classified as a progressive neurodegenerative disease stemming from multiple brain injuries like concussions and other head impacts. With an abnormal buildup of Tau protein in the brain, memory loss, aggression, depression, and dementia present themselves and increase over time, leading to violent incidents. Contact sports like boxing and football are the most common origins of this condition. It is something that can only be diagnosed after someone has passed away.

Back on 4th&1, Peggy asked again whether Newton blamed the league for even the smaller injuries like shoulders, ankles, etc. Newton admitted that he had his thoughts when he was still playing, “but it got better.” When Peggy remarked that Newton had chosen football as a career, Newton dropped the brutal reality check.

“Every single time I take my kids to private school, you understand, it is because of the game of football,” Newton said. “Every single time I open my refrigerator to some degree, it has something to do with the game of football. Every time I go visit my mother, and I see this beautiful house, I’m looking at my dad’s car, I’m looking at my lifestyle, I can’t just pick out all the negative stuff.

“I also have to say I’m looking at a self-funded studio, 30,000 square feet to be exact. Every single one of those square foot can be attached to a touchdown that was scored at some particular point. So I don’t just get to say, ‘Man it’s messed up what they be doing to folk, man. They need to ban.’ Yeah, bro, speak for yourself because everybody knows what could come from playing this football game – the same way as you know what could come from living a risky life. But yet, you still running them red lights.”

Football, in Cam Newton’s words, is the most “lucrative” sport in America. Nearly every quarterback in the league has stories from their younger days – of throwing around the old pigskin on weekends with their family members. Even with the risks of playing this sport, the rewards ultimately outweigh everything else, per Newton. For many, the NFL is the ticket that gets them out of obscurity and helps them build a better life for themselves and their families.

None of this takes anything away from the risks. The NFL itself has tried to prioritize player health as much as possible – increasingly so as the seasons go by. Still, a quarterback gets blitzed by everybody who’s got to earn a living on defense. 250-300-pound defensive linemen jump on top of offensive players with such ferocity it looks like nothing less than a freeway pile-up.

And still, fully aware of the possible ramifications, school kids dream of playing football, college kids ball out week after week to become pros, and the pros battle it out like their livelihood depends on it week after week. In light of this, Cam Newton delivers the boldest verdict that applies to every single player that has ever put on the pads on game days:

“Play at your own risk, because that’s what we doing anyway.”