President Barack Obama recently spoke about the dangers of concussions in an effort to raise awareness pertaining to brain injuries.

President Obama recently spoke about the dangers of concussions in an effort to raise awareness pertaining to brain injuries.

To get his message across to the younger generation, Obama admitted that he most likely encountered mild concussions in the past while playing sports.

"When I was young and played football briefly… there were a couple times where I’m sure that… that ringing sensation in my head ... and the need to sit down for awhile might have been a mild concussion and at the time you didn’t think anything of it." [Obama]

He made sure to point out, however, that these days he knows better than to ignore signs of a potential injury to the brain.

"We need more athletes to understand how important it is to do what we can to prevent injuries and to admit them when they do happen. So right, we have to change a culture that says you suck it up." [Obama]

The president acknowledged that in modern times, we have improved safety equipment, protocols and research, but he hopes there will be better ways to identify the severity of head injuries.