Matt Leinart has no problem with his children following in his football footsteps.

In an exclusive interview with We weeklyHeisman Trophy winner Leinart – who is currently expecting his third child with his wife Josie Lorenwho joins Leinart’s son Cole, 17, from a previous relationship, explained why he’s keen to support his children as they play the increasingly unpredictable and physical game.

“Injuries are part of sports,” said Leinart, 41. “They just happen. They’re part of it. They’re adversity. You have to deal with them. I’ve been injured a lot of times in my career. They just happen. Football is a violent sport, of course. It is what it is.”

In addition to Cole, who plays two sports (football and basketball) at Newport Harbor High School in California, Leinart is also the father of sons Cayson (4) and Cannon (3). Leinart and his wife announced in August that they are expecting another child. According to Leinart, they are waiting until the birth to find out the gender.

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“You can do all the testing and you can do all the things that are preventative right now — which the NFL is trying to do — and I respect that,” Leinart continued. “But at the end of the day, it’s a collision sport. It’s a contact sport.”

Leinart —who launched his new podcast “Throwbacks” with co-host Jerry Ferrara on Thursday, September 5 — was amazed at what the game of football has done for him over the years, first as a standout quarterback at Mater Dei High School in California, then at the University of Southern California and finally during 33 appearances for three different NFL teams between 2006 and 2012.

“I played high school, I played college, I played at the highest level,” Leinart explained. “I saw what football did for me and what it teaches you. Football is very specific. There’s something about it. There’s something about that locker room. There’s something about 60 guys working together. There’s something about all the things you learn that really apply to life.”

Although Leinart said he would “love” to see his children play football, he insisted he would not make decisions for them.

“I’m not going to force them,” he said. “I never have. But the combination of the fact that it’s just a great sport and fun to play with what you can learn from it, I’m not really concerned about the other stuff.”

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In addition to his job as a college football analyst for Fox Sports, Leinart is celebrating the release of his podcast “Throwbacks,” co-hosted by Entourage star Jerry Ferrara.

“We’re going to have a lot of fun with it,” Leinart said of the show. “We’re going to have big guests. We want to be the relatable podcast where guys can say, ‘Did you hear what Matt and Jerry said about their kids this week?’ Stuff like that. I’m excited, man. Jerry’s the best guest.”

Leinart continued: “We want to be the podcast for everyone’s group conversation.”

The first episode of “Throwbacks”, with guest Ashton Kutcherwas released on Thursday, September 5, with new episodes every Thursday.