Abby Wambach explains why she's donating her brain to science

Abby Wambach explained why she plans to donate her brain to science during a segment on NBC's Megyn Kelly TODAY show Thursday morning. 

The retired soccer star appeared with Hall of Fame quarterbacks Bret Favre and Kurt Warner and former Chicago Cubs catcher David Ross. Each said they hoped that researchers could examine their brains after they died and advance the understanding of head trauma.

"The only thing I can do at this point to give back to the world and help give more information, so our young kids and their parents can make better decisions about their brain health," Wambach said. 

The Pittsford native and 1998 Our Lady of Mercy High School graduate retired in 2015 after a 15-year international career that vaulted her to the top of her sport. She was regarded as one of the best players in using her head to score goals, which makes the revelation to have her brain studied more interesting. Of Wambach’s record 184 goals, she scored 77 with her head. 

Wambach admitted that as a younger player she dismissed concerns about the long-term consequences of head trauma. In a 2011 appearance on The Late Show, host David Letterman asked her about the possible brain damage heading a soccer ball could lead to. Wambach joked that if it meant scoring a goal, "being dumber for that moment is OK."

"That was a real naive kid who didn't want to face the truth about what her current situation was," Wambach said Thursday. "I think a lot of athletes who are still playing feel the exact same way."

Warner told host Megyn Kelly that athletes are driven to overcome challenges, including injuries, which leads to a dangerous mindset.

"I wish I had known more," he said.

Wambach agreed, saying that many players deliberately avoid learning about the long-term consequences of what they're doing to their bodies.

"You don't want to know because you're in it. You're representing your country and vying for that championship you've worked your whole life for," she said. "When you get closer to retirement that's when you start thinking about it."

But Wambach told Megyn Kelly she feels an obligation to help change that culture, especially for the girls who want to follow in her footsteps.

"I think all of us here are committed to the responsibility that we have of making our sport better when we left it than when we found it."

Wambach first announced in 2016 that she intended to donate her brain to Boston University's Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center. Researchers there have led the study of the impact of repeated head trauma, the suspected cause of the degenerative brain disease.  At present, CTE can be diagnosed only by a post-mortem examination of brain tissue.

SLAHMAN@Gannett.com

Includes reporting by staff writer Jeff DiVeronica