Obama has expressed misgivings about the violence of the sport,
Maglia Milan Puma, saying in an interview with the New Yorker published early this year that if he had a son he would not let him play pro football. Next week, Obama will hold a White House meeting on concussions and sports safety at the White House that will include young athletes, professional athletes, parents, coaches and health experts.
In a nod to that controversy, Obama took note of Seahawks owner Paul Allen's charitable foundation that has donated millions of dollars to research traumatic brain injuries. "Obviously this is a concern of the NFL, but is also a concern of our troops," Obama said.