On the Verge of a New NFL?

Hi everybody,

I haven’t written a blog in a while, but with what happened in the NFL in the last few weeks and especially yesterday Monday, March 16, 2015, I had to write. Chris Borland, 49ers linebacker, who had a great rookie season and was in his prime, retired at the age of 24. He was set to take Patrick Willis' place, who retired as well this offseason.

To quote him : “I just honestly want to do what’s best for my health. From what I’ve researched and what I’ve experienced, I don’t think it’s worth the risk. What am I doing? Is this how I’m going to live my adult life, banging my head, especially with what I’ve learned and knew about the dangers?”

Check out this interview on why he made that decision

This is the third under 30-years-old football player to retire this offseason after Jake Locker and Jason Worilds. So why would extremely talented, up-and-coming top NFL football players leave it all behind? All three of these players had bright and successful futures ahead of them with multi-million dollar contracts waiting in a few years. But as the medical field advances and shows how dangerous things can get, football players do their research, just like Chris Borland did. We have seen cases such as Dave Duerson, who knew his deteriorating mental state was due to his career, and asked for his brain to be studied. Junior Seau, even though he didn’t leave a note, shot himself in the chest, leaving his brain viable for study. As recently as 5 years ago, concussions and head trauma weren’t on the radar of the NFL, but with the lawsuit against them, they have had to respond to these accusations of not taking care of their employees. As a result, a concussion protocole was put in place. But how much can a doctor, even the most experienced one, can really tell in a few minutes? 

Football players know what they are getting themselves into when they enter the NFL. So what has changed for these three extremely promising players, to leave behind a career… and MILLION of dollars. Chris Borland’s case has caught the most attention because he was so outspoken about his reasons and his research. But why now? The 49ers, let’s be honest, have had a disastrous offseason. Patrick Willis and Marcus Lattimore retired, Franck Gore and Mike Lupati left, Ray McDonald was cut among others who would have had a big impact on the field this season. Jim Harbaugh left, and we know things were far from great this season, Jim Tomsula took over as Head Coach with rumors that he might have been back channeling for Harbaugh’s job. None of these rumors have been confirmed, but we can all agree that for any player who put their health at risk, if things are as ambiguous as they are for the 49ers right now, the incentive might not be greater than their health. Many of you will say, he quit, he could have earned millions, he knew that before.

And I completely agree with the fact that he knew the risks and the money at stake, but if you are unsure about the people whom you take these risks for, the money might be great, but what’s the point if you can’t enjoy it in 5 years for instance? So that’s where I want to involve people. Do you think his decision came because of the chaos going around the team? Would he have made that same decision if Harbaugh had stayed? What about Patrick Willis, would he have stayed if Harbaugh was still the 49ers Coach?

Borland’s retirement might not change the face of the NFL, but we can’t deny that there is a trend with younger football players who look at their health, do their research, get tested and decide that it’s not worth the risk, no matter what the paycheck is. So what does that mean for the NFL? More retirements? Will the players union press for more protocoles? And finally, will that impact the parents' willingness to let their kids play football in the long term? 

There will always be players willing to play, but are we at the start of a new era for the NFL?

I think I have asked enough questions for today and I hope to hear from a lot of you, get your opinion and start a great discussion.

#health #concussion #49ers #retirement #JasonWorilds #JakeLocker #NFL #ChrisBorland