National Football League

Is Chris Borland retirement a trend or anomaly? Ex-NFLers weigh in

Published Mar. 18, 2015 11:45 a.m. ET

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Alex Marvez

Three well-known NFL players retiring in their prime within a one-week span this offseason was highly unusual, but their reasons for quitting weren't.

San Francisco linebacker Patrick Willis cited nagging foot injuries. Pittsburgh linebacker Jason Worilds, set to get a huge free-agent payday, mentioned religious reasons. Tennessee quarterback Jake Locker, who has also battled injuries, said he had lost interest in football.

Yet the departure of 49ers linebacker Chris Borland is something completely new and may be a harbinger of things to come.

Borland, 24, cited concussions and long-term brain injuries when explaining why he left behind all the trappings that come with being an NFL player -- along with a multimillion-dollar rookie contract after such a promising rookie season.

Not that Borland had already suffered an excessive number of helmet hits forcing him into early retirement like Detroit running back Jahvid Best or Buffalo quarterback Kevin Kolb.

Rather, it was the fear head trauma inherent in playing his high-contact position could lead to the type of brain damage that has contributed to the disability and even suicides of some NFL retirees from earlier generations.

"I've thought about what I could accomplish in football," Borland told ESPN. "But for me personally, when you read about Mike Webster and Dave Duerson and Ray Easterling, to be the type of player I want to be in football I think I'd have to take on some risks that as a person I don't want to take on."

So is this a trend or an aberration?

Borland isn't the only player who has experienced such thoughts despite league efforts to make the game safer. He's simply among the few to act upon those concerns and one of the youngest ever doing so after achieving early NFL success. Borland logged 108 tackles and even received a vote for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year despite making only eight starts.

"He feels like the risk that he may incur -- and he himself underlines the word may -- is not worth what he would get from playing professional football," long-time NFL executive Bill Polian said. "I think the operative word is professional. It takes a special person to play it. It's not for everyone.

"It's a tough way to make a living. People outside the game don't realize that. I respect the decision he's made."

49ers safety Antoine Bethea expressed the same sentiment even though San Francisco's defense now takes a major hit with Borland gone. Bethea, who is entering his 10th NFL season at age 29, admitted retirement briefly crossed his mind when suffering what he believes is his first football concussion in 2014.

"I do think a lot of guys think about it just going off what we've seen from past players and lot of the talk about concussions and what it does after your career," Bethea said. "It's all about your mindset and how you feel about it.

"My first concussion, honestly speaking, had me thinking a little bit. But as I continued to play, I felt comfortable enough to think I was cool."

Just the fact many of today's players are giving the long-term health of their brains serious thought shows how much NFL culture has changed in recent years, especially after decades of the league denying strong connection between head trauma and permanent damage.

Players that show in-game signs of distress are now kept on the sideline and medically tested to determine whether it's safe to return. Those who fail cannot return to the game and must remain in a "concussion protocol" until cleared by a neurologist. The NFL also has tried educating its players to recognize concussion signs and stress not hiding symptoms to remain in games.

This is a far cry from when wide receiver Donte' Stallworth entered the league as a New Orleans Saints first-round pick in 2002. Stallworth tells FOX Sports he never officially suffered a concussion during 10 NFL seasons but several weren't diagnosed.

"I had no idea that what we would call getting dinged or our bell rung is classified as a mild form of concussion," Stallworth said Wednesday morning in a telephone interview. "There were a couple of times where I would hit my head on the ground and be a little woozy. I would come off the field and be ready to go back in with no issues and I was fine."

Stallworth said player views on concussions began to shift around 2007 as awareness grew.

"I don't think anyone knew how serious it was not specifically because of the NFL culture but the culture of football in general to suppress what is perceived as mental and physical weakness," Stallworth said. "That's part of the game. You don't want an opponent seeing you tired or hurt or winded or beat down because then they can take advantage of that. That culture kind of flowed into concussion protocol and dealing with them."

While Borland's decision has generated major mainstream publicity about the future of football itself amidst the ongoing concussion crisis, it failed to generate any immediate retirements among his peers. Polian said he doesn't expect other players who are just beginning their NFL careers to follow suit.

"I recognize that it's a story, but I think it's an isolated incident," Polian said. "You've seen a lot of Chris' teammates say, 'We respect his decision. We think it's the right decision for him but not a decision I would make.' There's a whole spectrum of opinion here."

Stallworth, though, believes what Borland did will resonate more with players at the same point of their NFL careers as Bethea in assessing how long to continue going.

"Players from their mid-20s to those creeping up on their 30s may look at this like they've been blessed to play. They've made a lot of money or are financially secure," Stallworth said. "The question then becomes, 'Do I really want to put myself at risk and be a guy with issues when I'm 45 or 50?'

"It's something guys are paying more attention to. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next 10 or 15 years and how much it affects the NFL."

--Alex Marvez and co-host Bill Polian interviewed Antoine Bethea on SiriusXM NFL Radio

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