“The head injuries were a huge reason for my decision,” Costello told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I’ve liked football and basketball for some time. I wasn’t totally sure what I wanted to do. Then, that movie Concussion came out and some interviews came out. I watched one interview with Dr. Omalu where he was talking about Mike Webster. After watching that, I said it’s not worth it.”
Castello, who played tight end and defensive back in high school, also plays basketball; and the athlete decided several months ago that he’d rather play that sport and not risk his health so much—although he wasn’t being recruited by anyone as a basketball player at the time.
“Yeah, it would be free college,” he said of the opportunity to play football on a scholarship, “but your whole life is in jeopardy. You’re putting your body in harm’s way every single week. It was definitely a tough choice, but I think I made the right choice.”
He since has been given a basketball scholarship offer from Shippensburg University, a division II school in the NCAA. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)