Borland retires

[fastforward]

What I've been saying is that after his rookie season when the 49ers season ended he should have told the team that he was done instead of waiting until free agency and the new league year had begun.

If he had known for certain he was going to retire there would have been no reason to wait until now. The conclusion has to be that he wanted to sit down and re-evaluate his life after the season finished. That can only happen on his timetable. As @zman1527 points out he could have come into camp late and played badly, pointing out he was distracted, playing scared, or feeling unwell. The 49ers would have ended up cutting him and he wouldn't be facing a financial rebate. This scenario would have hurt the 49ers far more. He hasn't been as honest as most would like but he's been more honest than most should expect. I hope the 49ers can move on from a bad early pre-season, not because I want to see the 49ers do well but because i'm in the small minority who really likes Jim Tomsula and wants to see him do well.

 

[darken65]

What I've been saying is that after his rookie season when the 49ers season ended he should have told the team that he was done instead of waiting until free agency and the new league year had begun.

I do agree that he should have voiced his intent sooner. I just wonder who the 9ers would have targeted in FA as a replacement?

 

[poewelch84]

I do agree that he should have voiced his intent sooner. I just wonder who the 9ers would have targeted in FA as a replacement?

I'm not sure anyone but they could have put a greater emphasis on a different position knowing they were going to need to draft one fairly early.

 

[poewelch84]

If he had known for certain he was going to retire there would have been no reason to wait until now. The conclusion has to be that he wanted to sit down and re-evaluate his life after the season finished. That can only happen on his timetable. As @zman1527 points out he could have come into camp late and played badly, pointing out he was distracted, playing scared, or feeling unwell. The 49ers would have ended up cutting him and he wouldn't be facing a financial rebate. This scenario would have hurt the 49ers far more. He hasn't been as honest as most would like but he's been more honest than most should expect. I hope the 49ers can move on from a bad early pre-season, not because I want to see the 49ers do well but because i'm in the small minority who really likes Jim Tomsula and wants to see him do well.

I read a story that he knew when Willis retired so yeah he knew for some time.

 

[poewelch84]

From the way I read it, he did not KNOW he was going to retire after 1 year. He was thinking about it but had not come to a clear decision. I bet that once he make a firm decision he told the team quickly. He could have done this in a lot worse ways, faked injuries to keep collecting money. Ya know.

This is the guy's brain health and had to be an extremely difficult decision. To be a pro athlete, performing like he did last year, and retire at 24 years old. Wow. My hat is off to him for making a wise decision for himself. This stuff about his timing etc is just blather and bfd.

Well he had come to the decision when Willis announced because he was coaching youth football and fretting that he was about to retire too. So yeah he knew and didn't tell them that quickly. Also considering he was looking into it after a training camp hit I would say his mind was certainly swaying that way.

 

[MHSL82]

I read a story that he knew when Willis retired so yeah he knew for some time.

Maybe he would have stayed as a backup, but now that he knew he was the starter, he wanted out?

 

[poewelch84]

Maybe he would have stayed as a backup, but now that he knew he was the starter, he wanted out?

The way the article was written it seemed like he had made up his mind well before Willis retired or he knew that Willis was retiring but he had made up his mind by the time Willis was announcing his retirement. I don't think being the starter had much to do with it.