Ed Reed Says He Wouldn't Want to Know If He Had CTE During NFL Career

Legendary NFL safety Ed Reed says he would not have wanted to know whether he had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, in his playing career.

Numerous former players have been diagnosed with the degenerative brain disease after repeated blows to the head. On Sunday, Reed appeared on a 60 Minutes special titled "Football and the Brain" that explored the prominent player-safety issue of traumatic head injuries in football. He said even if there were a test available to determine whether he had CTE during his career, he wouldn't have done it, per the Huffington Post's Maxwell Strachan.

"If they're going to give me this test and this test is going to be a negative towards me as a player and I gotta go home now and I can't play this game anymore, no," Reed said. "I don't wanna know till after. I don't wanna know until when I'm retired. No guy would want that. No player would want it."

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Boston University conducted research using the brains of 91 ex-NFL players and concluded this year that 87 showed signs of CTE. Hall of Fame Pittsburgh Steelers center Mike Webster died at age 50 in 2002 and was the first NFL player diagnosed with CTE, which helped raise awareness about the issue.

Reed's stance falls in line with players who frequently place their ability to make a living on the gridiron above their long-term health. A notable example arose last week when Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Malcolm Jenkins admitted to playing more than a half after suffering a concussion.

After spending 12 seasons in the NFL and not finding a team in 2014, Reed retired this May as a Baltimore Raven.