Wes Welker refuses to worry about long-term concussion effects

Wes Welker suffered at least six documented concussions over his 12-year NFL career, but he really doesn't want to think about the effects right now.

The former receiver, who is now a member of the Houston Texans' coaching staff, says he prefers to live life in the moment rather than worry about what dangers could be around the corner.

"I can't sit here and worry about it; I don't want to live my life that way," Welker told ESPN's Mike Reiss. "Is there a possibility (of long-term implications)? Maybe, I don't know. We'll have to see how everything kind of happens, I guess.

"I'm going to try to do everything I can to put myself in a position where I'm healthy and hopefully good. If I'm good, then great. At the same time, I'm not going to live my life worrying if my brain is going to explode at any second."

The 36-year-old was known for his toughness and ability to sustain a hit, which helped him produce five seasons with at least 110 catches and 1,100 yards between 2007 and 2012. As that style of play equated to a slew of head injuries, Welker doesn't totally regret his attitude, but he admits he could have been smarter.

"I don't know if I'd really change much - who I am or how I went about my business - because a lot of that aggressiveness and the reason (for success) was because of the way I played," said Welker. "Do I wish, looking back, (that I) would have gone out of bounds or gotten down, earlier in my career especially? There's always a warrior mentality, but trying to be smart about some of those things; I mean, yeah, I probably would have.

"When you don't have any concussions and you're just kind of going out there recklessly, you're 20-something years old, you don't think about it. You just go play."