Chris Borland retiring after 1 year

[BHF]

Crazy, but you can't really blame him. Especially if he was one of the ones that actually took his education seriously.

 

[Nasty_Magician]

I suggest you all invest in season tickets for your local soccer team ASAP because that will be what replaces the NFL over the next 30 years.

 

[BHF]

I suggest you all invest in season tickets for your local soccer team ASAP because that will be what replaces the NFL over the next 30 years.

Soccer might have the same issues with head injuries in the near future.

 

[Iggloo]

I worry the sport is dying. I think parents, especially in the north, are becoming more concerned about letting their kids play the game. Now you have promising rookies retiring immediately.

I too wonder whether Borland knows more than he is letting on, either about himself or other players. Maybe he saw some guys who were punch drunk from playing the game and got scared.

 

[ducky]

I worry the sport is dying.

As long as the FA periods continues to give out winning lottery tickets to anyone and everyone, the sport is going to be just fine.

 

[eaglesnut]

Wow I guess that's why he dropped in the draft. Questions about his desire to keep playing football.

 

[WizardHawk]

Jesus, will the last player to leave Santa Clara please turn out the lights? Thank you.

 

[Wolvie]

Tough to blame a guy that is tasked with trying to stop Beast Mode twice a year.

It is starting to sound like Harbaugh was the glue that kept this team remotely cohesive. Gotta be tough to keep the passion to play when the prospects of winning seasons become a thing of the past (which applies to Willis more than to Borland).

It has been a parade of horribles for Santa Clara this offseason and there are plenty of scapegoats to point fingers at. If Tomsula can get through the season without his team giving up on him, then I think that is a very succesful season for him. Wins are gonna be tough to come by.

 

[Montalban]

Wow! Karma is really coming back on the 49ers now. He was a great fill in for Willis and now both unexpectedly retire.

 

[Rock Strongo]

Adam Schefter
12 mins ·


NFL Sr. VP Of Health and Safety Policy Jeff Miller on Chris Borland's decision: "We respect Chris Borland’s decision and wish him all the best. Playing any sport is a personal decision. By any measure, football has never been safer and we continue to make progress with rule changes, safer tackling techniques at all levels of football, and better equipment, protocols and medical care for players. Concussions in NFL games were down 25 percent last year, continuing a three-year downward trend. We continue to make significant investments in independent research to advance the science and understanding of these issues. We are seeing a growing culture of safety. Everyone involved in the game knows that there is more work to do and player safety will continue to be our top priority."

 

[Moab]

Wow I guess that's why he dropped in the draft. Questions about his desire to keep playing football.

I don't think this decision had anything to do with where he was drafted. If you watched him play in college and the pros, there was never a doubt he was going 100% on every play.

I honestly believe what he said about getting his bell rung in camp and played through it over fear of not making the team. He probably thought about how dumb he was to do that, went down the rabbit hole and didn't like what he learned, so decided to walk away.

 

[NinersFan80]

Tough to blame a guy that is tasked with trying to stop Beast Mode twice a year.

It is starting to sound like Harbaugh was the glue that kept this team remotely cohesive. Gotta be tough to keep the passion to play when the prospects of winning seasons become a thing of the past (which applies to Willis more than to Borland).

It has been a parade of horribles for Santa Clara this offseason and there are plenty of scapegoats to point fingers at. If Tomsula can get through the season without his team giving up on him, then I think that is a very succesful season for him. Wins are gonna be tough to come by.

Yeah, because that is what it's about!

 

[Nasty_Magician]

As Iggloo mentioned, it was probably a combination of he received a concussion, saw some vets that had experienced multiple concussions struggling and said "that could be me". I don't think anybody could blame him.

Not on the same level, but there is a rumor one of the reasons Tiki Barber hung it up earlier than his body would have suggested is he did a commercial with Curtis Martin around that time and saw the rough shape Martin was in, limping, banged up, and decided he did not want to end up like that.

 

[phredmojo]

could he possibly come out of retirement next year and automatically be a free agent?

 

[Schmoopy1000]

could he possibly come out of retirement next year and automatically be a free agent?

no. He would still be under contract with the Niners if he ever decided to come back. Just like Barry Sanders with the Lions.

 

[Thruthefog]

Troy Aikman retired at a young age because of numerous concussions.

That explains a lot about his work as a commentator.

 

[Mr. Teal]

What I dont understand is if Chris Borland is so wrought with fear over football concussions that he has to quit football, why is he teaching kids how to play football if the risk isn't worth the reward?

 

[Southieinnc]

Flag football anyone?????

 

[podsox]

for every Borland there are thousands off guys ready to jump in and take his place. too much money is made for the sport to go anywhere. we may see more guys giving it up early but I don't see ftball going anywhere.

 

[BoBlake]

we may see more guys giving it up early but I don't see ftball going anywhere.

We're not even seeing that. There are almost 3,000 players in the NFL during training camp...the fact that 1 person retires after a year due to concussions is not anywhere close to a trend.