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Chris Borland retiring after rookie season with SF


frogger

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This was an intelligent thread when I went to bed last night and now it has gone the way of so many others around here. There are so many angles to this story- interesting ones that people brought up that I hadn't thought of myself (the soldier/PTSD post was a good one). But the one thing I didn't even consider was that anyone could possibly be critical of Borland. I guess I shouldn't put anything past some of you guys. Why don't we just turn it into another EJ thread while we're at it.

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This is shocking to say the least. It's a reflection of how much more players and the public are taking seriously the physical effects of football. It's sad to see a players career get cut short because they feel the possible impacts just aren't worth it (And it's sad that they have such a good reason to believe that given all we know). Football in general is going through a crisis. Its popular as ever (Its still popular with a younger generation, I am 25 and a ton of people around my age are into the sport) but the players are leaving the game earlier and earlier and youth football participation is down.

 

The NFL and youth football is going to have to figure this out. I don't think you could ever get rid of the head trauma completely. But I think you could try to limit its impact and implement every possible safety standard you can within reason (Better Helmet standards would be a good start).

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What kind of college educated parents? Former NFL players, who have kids, are college educated. A lot them don't have a problem with them playing tackle football as kids. I get what you you are saying though and I agree middle class, white, families might decide not to have their kid play football. But as you say, I don't think it'll effect the talent pool. For your example, you may not get a Tom Brady or Drew Brees(both sons of well off parents) but you very well could still get a Peyton Manning or Phillip Rivers or Andrew Luck (all sons of families in the football community.

The percentage of former nfl players in the population is infintesimally small, and calling them college educated is charitable, especially with regard to the bigtime schools. Otherwise, I think we agree.

Couple of points here.

1) kids will still play football. My kids go to a private, not cheap, school here in Richmond. ( where Russell Wilson went to high school) . Football team still needs to cut kids, even in a school with less than 250 boys in high schools. Difference is very few of the kids are plating tackle till they hit 13. Most the parents I talk to say research has lead them to the thought tackle at a young young age is where the high risk lies. As an aside, my kid plays lacrosse and not football, he had a pretty good concussion last spring, I have had no thoughts of telling him not to play this year.

2) to your second point on how to scout, Coach K does this to a point now. Some paint him as racist as to who he recruits, but he is not racist as classist. He looks for kids he thinks will stay in school and not leave early..the profile you point out. Why he recruited Chris Webber but not. Jalen Rose. Rose had better grades in school, similar grades in terms of basketball. But cause Webber was upper middle class with two parents at home, Coach K thought he would stay all 4 years vs Rose one and done.

 

Don't know what you guys think of the South...it is not 1960 down here. Same protocols everywhere...my kid could not go to school for a week, then had to be symptom free for two weeks before he could practice again. Baseline tests done on all kids down here in all leagues, not just the ones run by the private schools.

God comments, but Richmond is the south (i lived there for six years when i was a kid - born in buffalo, dad transferred to richmond, and then transferred back to buffalo). I'm not saying the south isn't paying attention to the issue; just that you see football programs dying in the north, at least in the suburbs. I don't think that there will be a shortage of talent though.

False. Football by far has the most, accounting for 47% of all reported high school concussions - more than triple the rate of boys soccer.

 

http://www.headcasecompany.com/concussion_info/stats_on_concussions_sports

Thanks! I was about to post this.

This is absurd.

 

He doesn't owe anyone anything. He changed his mind.

 

Thank you. The argument you're taking on is foolish, but this needed to be said. Edited by dave mcbride
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I never said he owed anyone anything... So in the end you and he are the foolish ones. Just b.c I feel he should have made he decision before he ever entered the NFL doesn't make me a villain like you are trying to portray.

Edited by Beef Jerky
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I never said he owed anyone anything... So in the end you and he are the foolish ones.

You've been attacking him for his decision throughout this thread. Your statement is also factually inaccurate, more or less, because you imply above that he robbed money from draftees who would have been drafted one slot earlier if not for him. It's chump change in the grand scheme of things, of course, but you in fact implied that he committed a moral transgression against the draftees that followed him. Hence how could he not "owe them"?

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Good on him... he got a decent paycheck, and made a sound decision for his future. If he had some concerns before his concussion, I imagine they increased afterwards, and throughout the season. I've said it before, but I always have a lot of respect for players who walk away from the game early, to focus on being healthy for the long term. There is no obligation to ruin your lives for fans, glory, or money.

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You've been attacking him for his decision throughout this thread. Your statement is also factually inaccurate, more or less, because you imply above that he robbed money from draftees who would have been drafted one slot earlier if not for him. It's chump change in the grand scheme of things, of course, but you in fact implied that he committed a moral transgression against the draftees that followed him. Hence how could he not "owe them"?

See here is where you are mistaken I am not attacking him. Glad we got that out of the way. He will be forgotten soon enough, odd though more players then you think leave the game early and this is news worthy... Only news worthy I guess b.c it is the 49ers and the problems they have.

Edited by Beef Jerky
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Goodell's failure to acknowledge CTE in any meaningful way is what really needs to be discussed. No NFL dedicated testing, awareness campaigns, research or funding for afflicted ex-players. Plenty of time and money for breast cancer awareness and abused women, but not one penny of marketing promotions dedicated to the disease that directly afflicts the players as a result of the game itself.

 

The hypocrisy disgusts me. It would be like the military pretending PTSD didn't exist while promoting awareness of fibromyalgia. Goodell needs to get real with this disease, and start supporting the wounded warriors of the NFL whose lives are at real risk within a few years of retirement. THAT should be the fallout of this story.

 

No, what needs to be discussed is the NFLPA's complete lack of action on the issue. The resistance of the NFLPA to actions the league did try to take like changing helmets.

Edited by jeremy2020
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It wasnt long ago one of our players retired way early when he was just coming into his own...Brad Butler was on his way to becoming a dominant tackle and he retired to go into politics. We havent recovered on the right tackle spot since...Borland retired for his health totally different but retiring on your own terms is always better than being forced out...Good luck to him....

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Could Adam Schefter be any more of a douchebag?

Really. Not many jobs pay people for talking about a game, either. Dude needs to get over himself.

 

Meanwhile, the money Borland "robbed" the team of was basically vet minimum for one season, the cost of a replacement-level player, when the guy was at least a "B" prospect in the NFL.

 

A bit of me thinks that those rushing to disparage the guy are a bit scared of what this augurs for the NFL. If NFL popularity wanes, fewer guys like Schefter will have jobs.

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Really. Not many jobs pay people for talking about a game, either. Dude needs to get over himself.

 

Meanwhile, the money Borland "robbed" the team of was basically vet minimum for one season, the cost of a replacement-level player, when the guy was at least a "B" prospect in the NFL.

 

A bit of me thinks that those rushing to disparage the guy are a bit scared of what this augurs for the NFL. If NFL popularity wanes, fewer guys like Schefter will have jobs.

Very well stated.
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Really. Not many jobs pay people for talking about a game, either. Dude needs to get over himself.

 

Meanwhile, the money Borland "robbed" the team of was basically vet minimum for one season, the cost of a replacement-level player, when the guy was at least a "B" prospect in the NFL.

 

A bit of me thinks that those rushing to disparage the guy are a bit scared of what this augurs for the NFL. If NFL popularity wanes, fewer guys like Schefter will have jobs.

You really think this will do anything for the popularity of football? Heh Football isn't going anywhere.

 

Everyone forgot already football went through my concussion lawsuits... And the game got more popular.

Edited by Beef Jerky
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I never said he owed anyone anything... So in the end you and he are the foolish ones. Just b.c I feel he should have made he decision before he ever entered the NFL doesn't make me a villain like you are trying to portray.

When you say that he should have made the decision coming out of college in order to give someone else a chance, you are saying EXACTY that he owed that to that someone.

 

GO BILLS!!!

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I think it's insane, especially after playing for FREE in college, to now to decide to give it all up. But I respect the **** out of it. His life. I doubt anyone with that good of a head on his shoulders (no pun intended) will have any problems finding a decent job. He won't be a millionaire, most likely, but I'm certain he considered that. Good for him.

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