Former New York Giants defensive lineman Leonard Marshall chastised Rush Limbaugh for “irresponsible” rhetoric and downplaying efforts to reduce concussions in football. Marshall's comments came on SiriusXM's The Agenda, hosted by Media Matters senior fellow Ari Rabin-Havt.

Limbaugh recently complained about the use of sensors in NFL helmets to monitor head injuries, saying it was evidence of “politics that has permeated football,” and concluding:

LIMBAUGH: But I'm telling you it's being chickified. The whole thing, everything in our culture is being chickified. And some things fine, but not everything.

On Wednesday, Rabin-Havt asked Marshall, a two-time Super Bowl champion and 12-year NFL veteran, to respond. Marshall said Limbaugh's comments were “irresponsible” and cited several instances of teenagers being severely injured while playing football:

MARSHALL: It's very irresponsible. How about you become the father of a 17-year-old boy who plays in a football game on a Friday night, and is in need of medical attention. It takes 15 minutes for the medics to get there to attend to this kid who gets injured, and your kid dies on the football field. How about being that parent?

CNN reported on August 18 that a high school football player in suburban Atlanta died after suffering an on-field injury after coaches tried to revive him on the field while awaiting an ambulance Friday night.

Marshall also cited the example of Josh Haddock, a former high-school football star in Georgia who in 2010 suffered an injury during practice that required brain surgery. Haddock reportedly is helping to develop a helmet that could alert people to head injuries.

Marshall challenged Limbaugh to become part of the solution:

MARSHALL: Watch and hope that there is change coming down the pike. Be part of that change. Be part of trying to empower young people with knowledge and information about the risk associated with playing tackle football.