“Hello, my name is Peter. I’m a neuropathologist, and I let my son play football. I’m also a football coach.”

This is how I sometimes feel I should introduce myself to people. I often joke to my colleagues that I’m probably the only neuropathologist on Earth who lets his son play football.

The response is often, “Yes, Peter. Yes, you are.”

This wasn’t always the case. I was once a terrified parent who shielded his son from any form of football. Even as a physician and neuroscientist, even knowing what I know about science and contact sports and the realities of concussion and CTE, I allowed the media to drive my thoughts on the dangers of football-related head injury.

Still, despite my efforts, my son discovered football – through of all things a video game. He immediately fell in love with the sport, and his feelings have now grown into a full-blown obsession.

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At first I was nervous. Should I let him explore this interest? What if he likes it? Do I let him play? Am I a bad parent if I let him play?

I decided I should take a closer look at the sport and extend my knowledge base beyond what I read in the news. Through that process I discovered how much the sport had changed since I played in the 1980s and how many of these changes were a direct response to the emerging science surrounding head injury.

Armed with this new information and after taking an introspection of what I already knew, I felt comfortable allowing my son to play football.

Now, I tell the story of how I went from fearful parent/physician to a father of a football player and, ultimately, to a football coach. My goal is to help educate other parents who might be afraid to let their children play football – or another contact sport. To share the advances, the sport and its leaders have made to protect players and create a better game, including USA Football’s Heads Up Footballprogram.

It’s a story missing from most media sources.

Being a neuropathologist, a football parent and a coach give me a unique prospective on the topic of football safety.

So, yes, I am a neuropathologist. I let my son play football. I’m not afraid of concussions. I’m educated about concussions.

My son currently plays flag football, and when he’s ready, he will make the transition to the tackle game.

During the next several months, I plan to share with you everything I have learned throughout my journey so that you, too, can make an informed decision about letting your child play football.

I’ll tell you about places you can go to learn about head injuries and football safety in general. Most of all, I will engage you in a dialogue that will help you keep your child safe.

Don’t be afraid of football.

Dr. Peter Cummings is board certified in anatomic pathology, forensic pathology and neuropathology. Neuropathology is a subspecialty of pathology focusing on the study diseases and injuries of the brain, muscles, nerves and eyes. Forensic pathology is another subspecialty of pathology focusing on how to interpret injuries and injury patterns. Cummings practices both areas of pathology and is an expert in head trauma.