Niners Chris Borland Calling It Quits

Written by

In a move that shocked the football world, San Francisco Forty Niner linebacker Chris Borland announced on Outside The Lines last night he was retiring from the game he loved. He is 24 years old and had only played one season in the league but fears the long term effects of repetitive head trauma. He joins a list of younger players walking away at a time when they are at the peak of their careers such as Jason Worilds, Jake Locker, and Patrick Willis.

Borland was drafted by the Niners in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft and had an outstanding rookie season where he led the team in tackles with 107 adding a sack, eleven tackles for a loss and two interceptions. The promising young linebacker was expected to fill the void left when teammate Patrick Willis retired. Instead, like Willis he walked away from the game telling OTL he could no longer ignore the risks:

“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.”

“I feel largely the same, as sharp as I’ve ever been. For me, it’s wanting to be proactive. I’m concerned that if you wait ’til you have symptoms, it’s too late. … There are a lot of unknowns. I can’t claim that X will happen. I just want to live a long, healthy life, and I don’t want to have any neurological diseases or die younger than I would otherwise.

Borland notified the team on Friday after talking to his friends and family. It is unknown to what extent he discussed his decision with former teammate Willis. The Niners issued a response via General Manager Trent Baalke late Monday evening after the official announcement.

The latest numbers indicate at least 70 former players have been diagnosed with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE ) but that number is assuredly skewed by lack of data. Cases such as Junior Seau highlight the dark side of football but many players still largely live by the mantra that they know the risks and love football, and the money and prestige, enough to continue playing the game.

The Borland announcement raised questions on social media and blogs regarding the future of football.  The simple truth is that its not going away at least not anytime soon. Its certainly possible more and more players will retire younger. Its also likely that parents will think twice about letting their children play sports such as football and soccer where head trauma remains an issue. It’s also true that the allure of sports will remain and there will be those who choose to assume the risk.

We won’t see the end of football but we might see a more mercenary league populated by players with few other options and willing to do whatever it takes to stay on the field and play the game. Borland and Willis are likely to end up in media or other areas where there skillset beyond playing the game will be put to use.

The sad reality is that our colleges aren’t preparing football players for anything other than playing the sport. Scandals like North Carolina, which is hardly isolated by the way, teach us this simple truth. College coaches place far more value on players spending their time in the weight room and on the field than they do in the classroom and in education. We are raising a generation of young players who are being indoctrinated into the mercenary philosophy.

No, football isn’t going away. We as a nation won’t stop watching the game. We won’t stop supporting the game. As long as there is an audience and there is money to be made the game will continue to exist. We are all complicit in the damage done to these players and that is the reality as well.

More stories you might like

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Subscribe!