24-year Old Rookie Retires from NFL

[mikemarc1]

Wow..

Not a great night for football. Chris Borland of the 49ers announced his retirement from the game..citing fear of head and neurological injuries. He just completed his first year in the league..he was a 3rd round pick from Wisconsin.

Borland won defensive rookie of the week twice last year, and was the NFL leader out of all defensive players in tackles per snaps played. Crazy, shocking announcement.

Unfortunately, I think this will become the norm, as more and more info comes out on head injuries in football. Crazy.

 

[jay_hq]

Concussions can happen in any sport. In his case, he got his first in sport. I understand his decision and can't blame him for putting his health first.

"The third-round draft pick who starred at the University of Wisconsin said he has had just two diagnosed concussions: one while playing soccer in the eighth grade, the other playing football as a sophomore in high school."

 

[RUMBA-JK]

He had a four-year contract with the 49ers worth just under $3 million, which included a signing bonus of $617,436.

Not pocket change - but not enough if he is concerned about turning his brain to mush

 

[SteveVA2]

Borland was the second coming of JJ Watt at Wisconsin. He played with the same kind of abandon. He also was injured several times while in college.
On Wisconsin.

 

[drewbagel423]

He was the guy that was slated to replace Patrick Willis after he announced his retirement. My 'Niners are in trouble this year.

 

[DJ Spanky]

Originally posted by jay_hq:

"The third-round draft pick who starred at the University of Wisconsin said he has had just two diagnosed concussions: one while playing soccer in the eighth grade, the other playing football as a sophomore in high school."

Well, he should have avoided playing soccer!

 

[RutgersRaRa]

Being a pro athlete is a grind, and being a pro football player is a unique form of grind since their bodies take such a beating. It's a lot easier to save face if a player wants to walk away from the grind by saying he worries about concussions, whether that's his real motivation or not. I have no problem with a player walking away from football, since the physical issues that are non-concussion related can be crippling, and when the additional possibility of being a mental case (literally) on top of the guaranteed physical case, suddenly a career on Wall Street or in insurance sales looks more appealing.

When I was substitute teaching at Piscataway High School a number of years back, I had a brief discussion with the disciplinarian, Mr. Alexander, during a break. He had been an O-lineman in the NFL for 3 years and was a seriously large man, as you can imagine. This big, strong, tough dude told me that he sometimes woke up in the middle of the night in tears due to the pain his legs were in. 30 years ago he told me that, and ever since then I've watched the game just a little bit differently. I'm still passionate about the game, but I am mindful that all of these guys have a life ahead of them filled with various degrees of pain. So when is the right time to walk away? To each his own, but I never challenge that decision.

 

[RUsojo]

NFL and football in general is on borrowed time. Luckily for them its a long time to go before they disappear. There WILL be a paradigm shift in american sports down the line.

 

[vkj91]

Originally posted by RUsojo:
NFL and football in general is on borrowed time. Luckily for them its a long time to go before they disappear. There WILL be a paradigm shift in american sports down the line.

Been hearing this since I was 10........

 

[Crazed_RU]

Originally posted by RUMBA-JK:
He had a four-year contract with the 49ers worth just under $3 million, which included a signing bonus of $617,436.

Not pocket change - but not enough if he is concerned about turning his brain to mush

He was potential star in the making and would have received a big free agent deal when his time came due. He just prioritized differently which is a bold move on his part.

 

[RUaMoose]

Originally posted by RUsojo:
NFL and football in general is on borrowed time. Luckily for them its a long time to go before they disappear. There WILL be a paradigm shift in american sports down the line.

In the book League of Denial it was mentioned several times that if just 10 percent of mother's decided their sons wouldn't play football, it would be the end of the NFL. That doesn't make sense to me as it seems like an awfully low percentage. 30-40 percent, I can see being a problem. Maybe someone on here can explain the math of the 10 percent.

 

[Scarlet_Scourge]

Originally posted by RUsojo:
NFL and football in general is on borrowed time. Luckily for them its a long time to go before they disappear. There WILL be a paradigm shift in american sports down the line.

they have been saying that since the 1800's

 

[Caliknight]

There are very few professional football players who will make this move. I am guessing this guy feels confident he will be successful out of football.

Many of these guys have few options if they want to make real money. The rewards far outweigh the risks for most all of them.

The league is filled with under or uneducated guys with few transferrable skills in the real world. What else are they going to do?

We get spoiled here at Rutgers. We see guys like the McCourty's, BL, Sanu, etc. who took school seriously, speak properly, and are educated. They are an anomaly in the NFL.

 

[RUich]

When you see just how many kids are virtually channeled into sports with the thought of it becoming a career, I seriously doubt you will see any sport just disappearing anytime soon. In fact, it seems like our thirst for even more violence is increasing. As much as we may look back on the Romans and the gladiators, I don't see us being all that different with the exception of trying to make it look more presentable. How many times have you seen the announcers go back to the tape and say, "listen to this collision"?
On the same note, how about the rise of the octagon and MMA fighting? How about women? Still think football is going to just go away?

 

[Ru2bnj]

Good for him. I'm sure he will have success...which doesn't necessarily mean being very wealthy. When he is in his 50s and 60s ..he will probably be physically healthy..not suffering with dire skeletal pain. Most importantly, he will have his mental faculties. Wish him the best.

 

[Doteman]

He's nuts

 

[Rokodesh]

Respect his decision to put his health above money. If not fully dedicated its best to move on. I love the NFL but I'll never blame a player for looking out for themselves.

 

[Ole Cabbagehead]

Originally posted by RUsojo:
NFL and football in general is on borrowed time. Luckily for them its a long time to go before they disappear. There WILL be a paradigm shift in american sports down the line.

Of course. Just like boxing and MMA have already gone by the wayside.... oh wait.

 

[RutgersRaRa]

IIRC, the Raiders offered Art Forst in the neighborhood of $2mm for one year, and he declined in order to go into business with his brother (and probably their father). Not everyone wants to do the grind, and they might see opportunities elsewhere that are lucrative.

 

[bryanjints]

I just heard that March Madness has more money bet on it than the Super Bowl does. So the number 2 sporting event of the year is a college basketball tournament. Which you can interpret 2 ways: 1 college basketball could be more popular than football. Or 2 it takes a month of basketball games to beat out a single football game.

The NFL isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Too much money available. If Americans stop playing football like they stopped playing baseball we'll just see teams full of foreigners.

 

[Kbee3]

Originally posted by Ole Cabbagehead:

Originally posted by RUsojo:
NFL and football in general is on borrowed time. Luckily for them its a long time to go before they disappear. There WILL be a paradigm shift in american sports down the line.

Of course. Just like boxing and MMA have already gone by the wayside.... oh wait.

Yeah. I can remember hearing about boxing being on its last leg thirty years ago.....with all of that punching to the head.
Today I put on the tv and guys are KICKING each other in the head.

 

[Terry_2426]

Good for him. If you want to play football at the professional level and risk what can happen to you, I'm certainly not going to be one to criticize you for it...but if you can step away from the game in a situation like this and give up potentially millions of dollars because you're thinking of your long-term health then good for you. Definitely not a decision many athletes could make.

 

[BoogieKnight]

I doubt the NFL ever disappears, but I do believe we see modifications to the game which will eventually lead to it somewhat resembling 7 on 7 or "flag football" as opposed to football in it's current form. Defensively we've already begun to see this shift, not only with the rule changes for targeting but the overall approach to the game. Who really tackles through the man anymore? Defenders are now taught to tackle the ball to create turnovers. Offensively, people want to see passing and WR's making acrobatic catches, not halfback dives into the line. I believe in 30-40 years it will be a completely different game from the one we watch today.

 

[DJ Spanky]

So is he giving his signing bonus back?

 

[RUaMoose]

Originally posted by BoogieKnight:
I doubt the NFL ever disappears, but I do believe we see modifications to the game which will eventually lead to it somewhat resembling 7 on 7 or "flag football" as opposed to football in it's current form. Defensively we've already begun to see this shift, not only with the rule changes for targeting but the overall approach to the game. Who really tackles through the man anymore? Defenders are now taught to tackle the ball to create turnovers. Offensively, people want to see passing and WR's making acrobatic catches, not halfback dives into the line. I believe in 30-40 years it will be a completely different game from the one we watch today.

Agreed. Classic example is the bogus "defenseless receiver/player" rule. You might as well just call it a "you hit him too hard" foul.

 

[RUMountie]

Originally posted by RUsojo:
NFL and football in general is on borrowed time. Luckily for them its a long time to go before they disappear. There WILL be a paradigm shift in american sports down the line.

What's gonna replace football? Care to elaborate? I hope you are not talking about the most boring and sorry excuse for a sport that we call soccer.

 

[beaced]

Was he John Alexander the great lineman,in the Burns era?

Originally posted by RutgersRaRa:
Being a pro athlete is a grind, and being a pro football player is a unique form of grind since their bodies take such a beating. It's a lot easier to save face if a player wants to walk away from the grind by saying he worries about concussions, whether that's his real motivation or not. I have no problem with a player walking away from football, since the physical issues that are non-concussion related can be crippling, and when the additional possibility of being a mental case (literally) on top of the guaranteed physical case, suddenly a career on Wall Street or in insurance sales looks more appealing.

When I was substitute teaching at Piscataway High School a number of years back, I had a brief discussion with the disciplinarian, Mr. Alexander, during a break. He had been an O-lineman in the NFL for 3 years and was a seriously large man, as you can imagine. This big, strong, tough dude told me that he sometimes woke up in the middle of the night in tears due to the pain his legs were in. 30 years ago he told me that, and ever since then I've watched the game just a little bit differently. I'm still passionate about the game, but I am mindful that all of these guys have a life ahead of them filled with various degrees of pain. So when is the right time to walk away? To each his own, but I never challenge that decision.