Roger Goodell encourages youth to play football: 'There's risk in life'

Seven high school football players died from game-related injuries in 2015, leaving some to wonder whether the sport's rewards outweigh the risks.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell believes they do.

Goodell was asked about the fatalities Friday during his annual state of the league address and said he still encourages youth to play football.

"If I had a son, I would want him to play football," Goodell said, adding, "There's risk in life. There's risk in sitting on the couch."

More than 100 high school players have died from football-related injuries in the past decade, according to data from the University of North Carolina's National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research. Between 1965 and 1974, that number was even higher, with head, neck, and spine injuries accounting for the deaths of more than 150 high school football players.