National Football League

Chris Borland to give back portion of signing bonus to San Francisco 49ers

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 12:13 p.m. ET

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James Parziale

Chris Borland shed some more light on his decision to retire after one season while appearing on CBS' "Face the Nation."

The former San Francisco 49ers linebacker, who played just one season and said last week that he feared for his long-term health due to the possibility of suffering concussions and brain trauma, will also give back a portion of his signing bonus.

According to the Washington Post:

Borland, appearing on "Face the Nation," plans to give back three-fourths of the $617,436 he received as a bonus. The linebacker earned one-quarter of that amount during a rookie season in which he led the 49ers in tackles and seemed headed toward a stellar career. Instead, last Tuesday he announced that he was walking away because of concerns about the long-term effects of repetitive head trauma.

Borland, 24, was slated to start for the 49ers next season, penciled in to replace Patrick Willis, who also recently abruptly retired.

"The decision was simple after I had done a lot of research and it was personal," Borland said on the show. "I was concerned about neurological diseases down the road if I continued to play football, so I did a lot of research and gathered a lot of information and to me the decision made sense."

Borland had 108 tackles in 15 games last year and played a key role in replacing Willis when he went down with a toe injury after 5 1/2 games.

Here is Borland's full interview with CBS:

(H/T Face the Nation)

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