NFC East blog
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"I'm worried about it," Westbrook said on HBO's Joe Buck Live on Tuesday. "Concussions have been all over the headlines and all over the papers, and it has been on the top of my mind since the Redskins game on the 26th of October."
The 30-year-old Westbrook has missed three straight games.
"I'm very concerned just because there is not a lot of data that says in 10 years or 20 years you'll be fine if you had too many concussions," he said in the interview. "I'm worried about that, and, hopefully, next time I go out there I don't have to worry about it anymore.
"That's my biggest concern. How am I going to be when I'm 50 or when I'm 60? Will I have all these brain diseases and will I have a problem remembering things? ... Now, I'm trying to get myself together with the help of the doctors as well as coach [Andy] Reid and the training staff. Now, the most important thing is to get 100 percent healthy -- and not play football ... until I'm 100 percent healthy."
On Monday, Eagles coach Reid said both DeSean Jackson (also out after a concussion) and Westbrook would return to practice this week and neither has been ruled out for Sunday's game.
Westbrook said he hopes to play Sunday against the New York Giants. He said his practice time Wednesday will be on a limited basis.
"My goal every week since I've been out is to get back and play, so I'm going to do everything that I can to get back out there and play this week," he said in the interview. "I'm going to start practicing, but of course you have to take things slow, and if you have any setbacks, you have to fall back a little bit. We'll see how it goes."
