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Why is Bo Jackson biting the hand that fed him?

The greatest two-sport athlete to play professionally, Bo Jackson has had some interesting comments recently about the game of football.

Oh yeah, that Bo!

You remember, “Bo knows this” or “Bo knows that!” Or maybe Bo knows diddly!

C'mon dude, if it wasn't for football, well I certainly wouldn't be writing this column about you.

It seems Bo is concerned about head trauma and he has voiced his concern for Cam Newton, quarterback for the Carolina Panthers.

Bo's new cause is to bite the hand that continues to feed him! But his stance on head injuries is a little displaced considering his career didn't end because of any head injuries but because of his hip.

Yes, the man currently crusading over head trauma in football ended his career because of his hip.

Bo continued to play baseball, basically performing on one hip and two legs.

I once asked Bears HOF running back Gale Sayers if he would rather have had concussions or have his knee blown out. There wasn't the slightest hesitation when he said he'd take the headache every time.

Football players today, especially running backs, would rather be hit high rather than low because a knee injury can end their career almost instantly.

Bo also said he wouldn't let his kids play football, even while he continues to cash in on his football career.

It's an admirable crusade, on some levels, but is he really supporting his comments?

If the sport is that bad, why would you continue to promote it? I'm referring to a commercial out now featuring Jackson and Brian Bosworth. They have Bosworth, a former linebacker better known for his college career at Oklahoma, and Jackson driving around on a video game type field and guess what they are wearing? Football uniforms — pads and all!

It seems Bo also knows hypocrisy!

Unfortunately, many jobs have an element of danger involved in them — from construction, to flying planes, to being a police officer — but people still perform.

Bo is concerned about trauma to the head and the long-term problems, but my mother-in-law had Alzheimer's and as a tiny 5-foot Italian woman she never played a down of football.

Do we really need a whining Bo Jackson to tell us football is dangerous? Where would Bo have been without football?

It just feels he wants to garner the spotlight again and maybe doing that car commercial went to his head. He wanted to speak out on something, but I really don't think anyone asked him.

• Follow Mike on Twitter @north2north. Check out his podcast Monday-Friday at podcastarena.com, iTunes or audioboom. His column appears each Tuesday and Friday in the Daily Herald. For more, visit northtonorth.com.

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