This is pretty telling. NFL wasn't getting the "results" they wanted, so they pulled the cash from their "commitment" to find the truth.

http://www.espn.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/14417386/nfl-pulls-funding-boston-university-head-trauma-study-concerns-researcher

My personal opinion is that the risks are not worth it. Both of my guys played football. One switched to hockey (has its own concussion issues though....but getting a lot better because of rule changes). The problem with football is the very emphasis on the game is around collisions. So very hard to modify the game so that it is safer. Kids are huge these days compared to when we played. They are also a lot faster. That is why it is hard to compare to when we played as kids.

Either way, you are not alone in questioning the game. Around our house, peewee football has dropped about 50%. Personally I think football will become a club sport in about five years in our area. The lawyers are going to win this one.

Let me make one thing clear. I love watching and playing football. It is a blast. So this is still a very tough subject to talk about. And no, you are not a monster for letting your kid play. At this point, nothing is certain....but there is change in the wind and I would keep a very close eye on the data. Here is a good article that summed up the state of concussions and football....

https://www.forbes.com/sites/leeigel/2017/08/07/studies-reveal-missing-links-about-cte-and-brains-of-nfl-players/#bb998594ec98

Not sure I fully agree, but understand your point. All sports are getting targeted. Both of my guys play hockey and as well as ref hockey. Every year hockey has a new set of rule changes around mitigating concussions. Penalties for boarding are getting more severe too. A hit in the back is an automatic 10 minutes off of the ice. That has made a significant drop in concussions as well as other severe injuries. There are some in hockey that think it is getting too soft. They have made the sport safer. I think football is targeted more because of the numbers and probably because of the hitting component. The numbers are pretty darn high.....but so are sports like girls soccer.

https://consumer.healthday.com/cognitive-health-information-26/concussions-news-733/which-high-school-sport-has-the-most-concussions-720657.html

This analogy to driving is silly to me. One is optional and one you need to function in today's society. To me your well being is a sum of the risk you throw at it. Yes, we all have to drive to get around to things like work and school. But you don't have to play football to survive in a modern society.

Driving
Walking on a side walk
Going to the DMV (this is more of a mental risk)
Going into a hospital that may have disease
Riding in an airplane
Riding in a train
Going out on a boat

All of the above have risks, but most are done to accomplish basic goals in life. Most people have done these things (that are part of the modern culture).

But activities like football are very optional and are probably adding unwarranted risk to your overall well being.