OT: Chris Borland cites health concerns; retires from NFL

I'm not saying I blame him, but I found this rather strange. He worked his whole life to get to college, finished his career at Wisky, got drafted in the 3rd round, worked his way into the starting line-up halfway through the season and became the leading tackler on a good team...and now retires. Must be some scary stuff he's seeing or hearing to give up what had to be his love and is life-long dream.
 
99topdawg said:
I'm not saying I blame him, but I found this rather strange. He worked his whole life to get to college, finished his career at Wisky, got drafted in the 3rd round, worked his way into the starting line-up halfway through the season and became the leading tackler on a good team...and now retires. Must be some scary stuff he's seeing or hearing to give up what had to be his love and is life-long dream.
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There is a lot of evidence against all the head banging. PBS Frontline did a great expose in a couple of episodes of all the evidence and what the NFL knew and knows. There is a reason they settled their lawsuit with past players out of court.

I love the game, the strategy, the sights and sounds but some players look at the bad side logically.
 
As much as I love and appreciate the sport I honestly don't think I'd ever let my boys play based on the studies that are out there and what they're discovering. Players spend their entire lives trying to get to where Borland is and I can see why they'd continue to take risks playing the game they love. That said, I can also see why Borland (who I always felt was undersized) feels its time to step away from the game to preserve his future.
 
I just wish I knew what his thought process was a year or two ago... I mean it's just weird to play at that high of a level at LB no less and then after cashing a years worth of checks decide that he's had enough. I don't blame him. Just curious how long he's been thinking/researching it. Poor Niners having 2 LBs retire like that makes it challenging to build a team. But this is rare as all get out. So of course the media will make a big stink over it because of that and it being over head injuries...
 
Hawkfnntn said:
I just wish I knew what his thought process was a year or two ago... I mean it's just weird to play at that high of a level at LB no less and then after cashing a years worth of checks decide that he's had enough. I don't blame him. Just curious how long he's been thinking/researching it. Poor Niners having 2 LBs retire like that makes it challenging to build a team. But this is rare as all get out. So of course the media will make a big stink over it because of that and it being over head injuries...
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I wonder if it has to do with the size of the players at the NFL level. Not saying guys are small at the college level, but as you progress from high school, to college, to the pros the players get bigger and faster. May have felt that the "big hits" he received in college became average to what he felt at the college level and it simply rattled him a bit mentally knowing how hard he was consistently getting hit and he simply thought it was best to get out before it was too late
 
As someone with post concussion syndrome from my childhood head trauma, I can definitely understand why someone would step away from the game. I think kicker22 might be spot on with his idea that the big hits of college became the average hits of the pros.

Part of me hopes that Borland goes back to the NFL, because I loved watching him play in college and for the 9ers (I was raised a SF fan, but became a Buccaneers fan due to MYFA here in CR). But I can understand why he wouldn't.
 
kicker22 said:
I wonder if it has to do with the size of the players at the NFL level. Not saying guys are small at the college level, but as you progress from high school, to college, to the pros the players get bigger and faster. May have felt that the "big hits" he received in college became average to what he felt at the college level and it simply rattled him a bit mentally knowing how hard he was consistently getting hit and he simply thought it was best to get out before it was too late
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Force = Mass x Acceleration would say that this is the case. Not just size, but speed and explosiveness.
 
Seems he's still on his rookie contract. 617k/year guaranteed through 2017. "Only" 114k/year more by playing.

Maybe he'll unretire in 2018.


correction: 617k seems to be not a prorated amount...

http://www.cnbc.com/id/102512270
The linebacker's original rookie contract was for $2.93 million over a four-year period, according to Raiola. The next three years broken down were worth serious six figures:
2015: $530,000
2016: $620,000
2017: $710,000
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Hawkfnntn said:
I just wish I knew what his thought process was a year or two ago... I mean it's just weird to play at that high of a level at LB no less and then after cashing a years worth of checks decide that he's had enough. I don't blame him. Just curious how long he's been thinking/researching it. Poor Niners having 2 LBs retire like that makes it challenging to build a team. But this is rare as all get out. So of course the media will make a big stink over it because of that and it being over head injuries...
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Poor Niners? WTF? Am I supposed to feel sorry for a bunch of millionaires?
 
ESPN Needs to start a new network.
ESPN for people against playing football.
They could interview Borland, Michael Sams and have some 'special reports' from
PBS Frontline.

I'd prefer to hear news about guys who are playing for NFL teams.
No one is forcing anyone to play football. NFL is trying to make game as Safe as possible.
I'd BET that driving in the USA, is statistically much more dangerous than playing football.
Perhaps we should 'crack down' on driving, as well.
 
MoseSchrute said:
Poor Niners? WTF? Am I supposed to feel sorry for a bunch of millionaires?
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I don't mean it in any serious way. Just in the sense that what team has had anything remotely similar happen to them? Pretty unprecedented that 2 players 30 and under retire when they can very easily go out there and play if they so choose. At the same position. For the organization to have to replace a HOF potential guy and guy who played really well in 6 or 7 games last yr while replacing him just isn't an easy thing. If your a fan of the team it sucks that's all.

If you think the media is making a big deal of this what if say Montana and Young retired the same off season in their prime? Todays media would trip all over themselves trying to cover every angle of that.
 
Borland said he was pretty sure he suffered a concussion in training camp and played through it because he wanted to make the team. He didn't come right out and say it, but I got the vibe that that was what really got him questioning whether this is what he really wants and if it's worth gambling his future for. He did say he felt that to have a successful career, he'd probably have to make sacrifices to his long-term health that he wasn't sure he was comfortable with. Really seems like a case where a person knows the risks of something but always thinks that it'll never happen to them. Until it does.

Props to him on making a smart call, even if it means flying in the face of conventional wisdom.
 
Agreed. Cognitive function is a terrible thing to have to trade for a living. Can't fault people who don't make the same decision as Borland but he's showing guts and intelligence.
 
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