This hit against Arizona on Sept. 27 has kept Steve Young off the field.

Saying what Young wouldn't, San Francisco 49ers coach Steve Mariucci on Wednesday said Young's concussion problems almost certainly would keep him sidelined for the rest of the season. And the health risks associated with getting another could prevent Young from ever playing again.

"There's a small part of me that would love to see him running around, throwing touchdown passes again," Mariucci said. "I think the whole world would love to see that. But there's a larger part of me that has to be ready to have him unavailable.

"I hope that Steve could play again someday. He is trying to get to that point. He knows that it's a long shot, but I don't know that he wants to admit that every day. It's like being down 20 points. He's not going to concede the loss because he's a fighter."

Young, in his first public comments in two weeks, said he continues to hold out hope of playing again, though he conceded he has no idea when or if he'll receive medical clearance.

"This has not been the easiest thing to deal with," Young said. "I will not play unless Dr. (Gary) Steinberg and the coaching staff and myself feel that it's the right thing to do."

Sidelined since suffering his fourth concussion in three years a month ago, the 38-year-old quarterback refused to rule out a comeback this season.

"I don't know if you can put percentages on it, but today I'm not on the field, so it's zero percent," he said Wednesday. "I'm not going to play in the next couple weeks or the next few weeks.

"I don't want to put a time frame on it. But I think in time I will be able to put enough time between the incident, that the unknowable might become knowable. If time runs out on the season, so be it."

Mariucci said the team has discussed putting Young on injured reserve, which would finish him for the year. But Young has pleaded for patience, and out of respect to him the team is allowing more time before making a decision.

"He doesn't want to leave it or let it go," Mariucci said. "He wants to be involved.

Mariucci added that the injured reserve list could be inevitable for Young.

"At this point, we don't need that roster spot. Now, if we get an injury or two, we may reconsider. And Steve knows that," Mariucci said.

Young insists he is indeed serious about his health. He says the death of a San Jose high school football player following a concussion was "sobering to all of us, not just myself."

But he said he needs more time and information before deciding on his future. Young continues to consult with specialists and speak with players who have been driven from the game by repeated concussions.

He said he will ultimately abide by his doctor's recommendations and does not fear being forced to quit.

"I've been preparing for retirement since I started playing football," Young said. "I went to law school. I've done a lot of other things. So when that comes, that will be fine. We'll just move right on in and do something new.

"I recognize these concussions can have their effects, so I'm not in any way in denial about it. But certainly I've talked about the possibility of coming back and I would like to explore that."

Wide receiver J.J. Stokes said Young's teammates are coming to realize their quarterback won't be back any time soon, if at all.

"I thought until just recently he would be back at some point in time this season," Stokes said. "The fact that he will probably not be back is going to be rough, but we just have to go with Jeff Garcia."

Young's latest concussion came during a game at Arizona on Sept. 27. He lapsed into unconsciousness for about 30 seconds after being leveled by blitzing cornerback Aeneas Williams, and then hit his head on tackle Dave Fiore's knee before hitting the ground.

Since then, Young has been bothered by headaches, lethargy and general wooziness though he said most of the post-concussion symptoms have now dissipated.

Steinberg, his chief neurologist, made a recommendation about his future. Young still wouldn't say what it was in his first public comments in two weeks.

"He's telling me I can't play right now," Young said. "It's like any injury. You have to give it time to heal."

But for now, Mariucci and the rest of the 49ers are preparing for life without Young.

"Mentally, we're all prepared not to have him. Sure, we'd like to have him, but that may not be what ends up happening," Mariucci said.