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Chris Borland retiring after rookie season with SF


frogger

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Lol...this is called...

 

"I'd rather retire than play for this team" going on with the 49ers this offsesaon

 

The larger question is: Is the NFL in trouble?

 

will parents push kids to safer sports?

 

Will young adults choose different sports?

 

Will young NFL players take the money and run, rather than risk it.

 

OVERALL, will QB become just another on the list of positions where there's not enuf guys to fill?

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Well then, this could be the begining of a big movement/talent drain. The league needs to make it look like it is doing something. But I'm not sure the league can really do anything to completely prevent CTE due to the very nature of the sport. Even if there isn't contact to the head, things like whiplash and bouncing your dome off the turf will always be a problem.

So he only played 14 games? I guess no one can ever speculate how good he was gonna be.

Oh snap. How is this post not getting any attention?
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I wanted the Bills to draft this kid so bad, I remember he was there for them to take and when they passed I was pissed. I truly thought he would be the next zach Thomas, and maybe he could of been. He had a great first season, and In my head I thought, I knew he'd be awesome, but boy am I glad that we went w PB instead, someone I knew relatively nothin about. I wish him the best, smart kid, I just can't imagine leaving all that money on the table. Props to him.

their new coach should have retired after his first press conference

 

Hahah awkward.
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This is a good decision for Borland, he obviously does not want to play football. An NFL line backing corps is not a place for a guy that doesn't have himself 100% in it. But let's not blow this out of proportion. There are plenty of guys waiting to take his place. The NFL isn't going anywhere. There will just be some guys like Borland who go in other directions. Others , like Willis, will choose to retire sooner than previous players. The game will go on, only around 2% of college players make it to the pros. There is still far more supply than demand by 32 franchises. Borland decided the game wasn't for him. There will likely just be more that decide this sooner than after actually playing in the NFL. Guys know there are risks in this game. There is also potential for a huge payday. That is enough to offset the risk for plenty of potential players.

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The NFL has about the same control over CTE as boxing officials. The way the sport is played guarantees this will happen. Unless they want to switch to leather helmets or something that doesn't allow for the speed of the collisions nothing will have a drastic impact on CTE. Which is sort of a problem given the NFL has branded itself on the very collisions that create the biggest problems. NFL films breed generations of football players to go for the knock out and I just don't see that culture changing.

 

IMO eventually we will see middle upper class family's bailing on the sport at the youth levels. We will also see current players like Boreland who feel they can have a life outside the game bail. This will impact the talent pool, but it will also leave the least educated, least skilled, and most impoverished people left playing the game. I think that's just a natural progression we will see as far as player demographics.

 

I also think we will see an advanced test created at some point. Something that can detect this in more real time. Which would certainly create a mass exodus of the sport. What I don't see is the NFL folding. Eventually all the information and testing will be available to players. We will still see enough guys willing to take the chances as the alternatives for some of these players seem non existent.

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Man, the Niners are having a dumpster fire of an offseason.

 

On another note, the poster who pointed out the low rookie wage scale has a great point. I hadn't thought about that. There is definitely less incentive than there used to be to take the risk.

 

I think they tried to address it with the Extra Bonus (whatever its called) where players outperform their contracts.

 

Like how Seantrel got an extra $377K or so. But still, maybe not enuf.

 

The LARGER point is, will players no longer want to risk playing NFL football. Is this the death knell ??

 

Seriously, gentelmen. This is not Chicken Little. This is really about life / death for the NFL.

 

Do they make it a pansy but safe game? Do they keep it a man's game, but deal with serious injuries?

 

If you're Goodell today, and you have a committee to determine the long-term viability of the game, . .. what now?

Edited by maddenboy
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I think they tried to address it with the Extra Bonus (whatever its called) where players outperform their contracts.

 

Like how Seantrel got an extra $377K or so. But still, maybe not enuf.

 

The LARGER point is, will players no longer want to risk playing NFL football. Is this the death knell ??

 

Seriously, gentelmen. This is not Chicken Little. This is really about life / death for the NFL.

 

Do they make it a pansy but safe game? Do they keep it a man's game, but deal with serious injuries?

 

If you're Goodell today, and you have a committee to determine the long-term viability of the game, . .. what now?

Not a death knell, there will always be athletes willing to take their place. Its just a matter of will the quality of play suffer as a result of lesser athletes on the field

A lot of guys walking away. A Bentley now isn't worth dementia at 50

Too many it is, bears ex safety chris conte spoke directly to this. I'm sure many others think the same way. When you're young and making money are most athletes really thinking about retiring ?
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Too many it is, bears ex safety chris conte spoke directly to this. I'm sure many others think the same way. When you're young and making money are most athletes really thinking about retiring ?

 

Yes. But then you have a potential domino effect.

 

"oh, Chris Borland retired after only making about $600K. That's not bad money to have before your 25th birthday. Maybe I can do the same, then (go back to school, get on TV, go work for UPS, get into coaching, etc.)."

 

And yes, you'll have "athletes" who will take the places of the good players. But will the NFL still be worth watching? Because now, we say we're watching "the best football players on the planet" but in a few years, maybe it wont be true anymore.

 

Seriously. Not caring about my post count, but this is bothering me very seriously. I feel like somebody whose doctor just said "sorry, but its [x disease]. Its treatable, but not curable"

Edited by maddenboy
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I hate to say this, but I could certainly see the league becoming essentially one played by people of color from non-affluent backgrounds with very few exceptions. For people from such backgrounds, football may still represent an appealing way out. The middle and upper middle classes (mostly white)? They're opting out. I see it. I know tons of parents with kids playing youth sports, and no one I know would ever let their kid play tackle football. Among them, there is a HIGH awareness of brain injury, and since they expect their kids to go into the knowledge industries, I think some of them see youth tackle football as a form of child abuse. I do think the league recognizes this, and it is evident in the way they're sponsoring youth flag football leagues. Flag has become hugely popular in many places in the last half dozen or so years. It's a way to build future fanbases among the affluent and near-affluent without those people actually having to play tackle to learn it and identify with it.

 

Also worth noting: Borland and Locker, both young players, are white. Willis, who is 30, said he's retiring because of his feet -- he fears he won't be able to walk in retirement if he continues to play. I'm not quite sure why Worldis retired -- is the Jehovah Witnesses story true?

 

Anyway, things are changing for the NFL. I don't think it's in real danger yet at all, but it's worth remembering that boxing used to be the most popular sport, hands down. (Boxing died fpas a popular sport for other reasons besides its brutality, of course.)

Edited by dave mcbride
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Or we could all not overreact to this story, not assume the NFL is on the way out, and follow up with Borland in a year if he unretires?

 

Not to be cynical, but... he's been playing football his entire life, and retires after an all star rookie year? Sounds like he wants to cash out, knows he cant hold out on a rookie deal, and can afford to take a season off and sign a MONSTER deal next offseason after some "soul searching."

 

THIS, my friends, is the 2015 athlete. Like Revis's one year stays around the league, todays young athletes were raised hearing about Lebron wanting to be the first billion dollar athlete, and being glorified for being a "business man." It makes more sense for Borland, financially, to "retire" for a year or 2, stay in shape, and come back later. Why play out this deal for peanuts and risk his health or underperform?

 

And did I not tell you the NFL veteran combine would change the league forever? Well, here you go. Here's the first unintended consequence of making veteran tryouts a televised spectacle. Get your popcorn ready for March 2016--Borlands gonna beast at the combine lol.

Edited by JohnnyGold
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There are a whole range of things that could be done - not to eradicate the problem but to hopefully reduce it.

 

Looking again at helmets as suggested by negativo is one.

Adopting better tackling technique is another - I think Pete Carroll talked about looking at rugby's tackling techniques and trying to learn best practice.

Possible rule changes - I'm thinking particularly about men on / off the line of scrimmage (probably needs some research into whether having more on the line increase or decreases the likelihood of concussions.

 

It does feel like a watershed moment for the NFL though. A talented young guy walking away at the end of his rookie year because of concussion concerns. This problem now overshadows all the other matters that Goodell and the League office have in their in-tray.

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The larger question is: Is the NFL in trouble?

 

will parents push kids to safer sports?

 

Will young adults choose different sports?

 

Will young NFL players take the money and run, rather than risk it.

 

OVERALL, will QB become just another on the list of positions where there's not enuf guys to fill?

NFL will never be in trouble. If you didn't notice but thousands of players waiting to play the game.

There are a whole range of things that could be done - not to eradicate the problem but to hopefully reduce it.

 

Looking again at helmets as suggested by negativo is one.

Adopting better tackling technique is another - I think Pete Carroll talked about looking at rugby's tackling techniques and trying to learn best practice.

Possible rule changes - I'm thinking particularly about men on / off the line of scrimmage (probably needs some research into whether having more on the line increase or decreases the likelihood of concussions.

 

It does feel like a watershed moment for the NFL though. A talented young guy walking away at the end of his rookie year because of concussion concerns. This problem now overshadows all the other matters that Goodell and the League office have in their in-tray.

Doesn't overshadow anything... The guy decided to retire.

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I honestly think this will be forgotten about in weeks, if not days. The vast majority of NFL players and soon to be NFL players will continue to play the game because they love the game and are extremely competitive.

 

It's an odd situation, how come going to the NFL made him change his mind, why didn't it happen in college? Is it his pay that effected his decision, didn't think it was worth it, risk vs. reward?

Edited by Wayne Cubed
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I honestly think this will be forgotten about in weeks, if not days. The vast majority of NFL players and soon to be NFL players will continue to play the game because they like it and are extremely competitive.

 

It's a odd situation, how come going to the NFL made him change his mind, why didn't it happen in college? Is it his pay that effected his decision, didn't think it was worth it, risk vs. reward?

Yea this has happened before but no one remembers b.c it is always a bunch of no name players. Next MAN up.

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Concussion's are weird. My little bro got a concussion in a very gentle head bump. I've fractured my skull twice, and bounced my head off of concrete, fists, falling and so forth. I've never had one. It really seems like some people are more likely to get them. Imo

Edited by JaxBills
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Man, the Niners are having a dumpster fire of an offseason.

 

On another note, the poster who pointed out the low rookie wage scale has a great point. I hadn't thought about that. There is definitely less incentive than there used to be to take the risk.

Outside the top handful of guys.... did it really change for someone like Borland?

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I honestly think this will be forgotten about in weeks, if not days. The vast majority of NFL players and soon to be NFL players will continue to play the game because they love the game and are extremely competitive.

 

It's an odd situation, how come going to the NFL made him change his mind, why didn't it happen in college? Is it his pay that effected his decision, didn't think it was worth it, risk vs. reward?

My question for you is, do you think college educated parents (especialy white ones) outside of the south are letting their kids play tackle football anymore? I don't see them doing it. That said, I don't think it'll affect the talent pool much. Maybe you won't see the next tom brady (middle class kid from the affluent bay area suburbs). That kid will be more likely to focus on baseball or whatever else he's good at (brady was drafted in the 18th round of the mlb draft coming out of high school). The south is a different story -- the idea that there is a "war on football" is strong there, and identifying with football is virtually a political statement.

Interesting angle

@ProFootballTalk: Chris Borland situation creates new challenge for scouts: Spotting guys who may retire early, if it's even possible http://t.co/UYSHXzwaql

Pretty simple test - see who the suburban guys with college educated parents are. Edited by dave mcbride
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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.

Wait the military I guess acknowledges PTSD but barely does anything about it and is a long way from effectively diagnosing it and responding to it or any other mental health disease...in an effective consistent manner.

 

Its a rough sport, concussions are part of it, they are still learning more about the brain and while both organizations have their faults, the issue is being addressed with the current knowledge available with the fact that the game is played the way it is. Should more be done, yup. Is there a lot of effort being put in right now to better understand and treat the issue yes, but their is a lot of inconsistencies and disorganization across the board. 10 years from now this effort will look even more pathetic as we learn more, but I don't think you can compare something in its infancy of medical research and treatment to efforts that have had years of progress made.

 

If anything, I blame the military who has been aware of these issues for years and apparently made little progress in treating. That being said the brain is truly a complicated thing and the medical industry has a long way to go figuring out how to fix trauma or miswired circuitry. Dealing with my son's neuro issues has given me a ton of insight and plenty of frustration over how little is known about treating brain injuries.

Edited by North Buffalo
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when scouts talk about "a real love or passion for the game," that's my assumed point.

that includes some other things too like the time where the Colts drafted Quinn Pitcock from OSU fairly high, and later learned he was so addicted to video games he quit professional football because he couldn't make himself stop playing up go to practice. I am not sure if he ever repaid his SB. Edited by YoloinOhio
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My question for you is, do you think college educated parents (especialy white ones) outside of the south are letting their kids play tackle football anymore? I don't see them doing it. That said, I don't think it'll affect the talent pool much. Maybe you won't see the next tom brady (middle class kid from the affluent bay area suburbs). That kid will be more likely to focus on baseball or whatever else he's good at (brady was drafted in the 18th round of the mlb draft coming out of high school). The south is a different story -- the idea that there is a "war on football" is strong there, and identifying with football is virtually a political statement.

Pretty simple test - see who the suburban guys with college educated parents are.

 

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.

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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.

Interesting argument, but those same kids are playing hockey, lax and soccer in droves. All high concussion sports with Soccer considered the worst, high above those of football. The only difference I see is if a kid gets a concussion up North, they have to stay out of the sport for a long time under Drs supervision afterwards, especially after having a second one. Many of those kids move on to another less violent sport.

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My question for you is, do you think college educated parents (especialy white ones) outside of the south are letting their kids play tackle football anymore? I don't see them doing it. That said, I don't think it'll affect the talent pool much. Maybe you won't see the next tom brady (middle class kid from the affluent bay area suburbs). That kid will be more likely to focus on baseball or whatever else he's good at (brady was drafted in the 18th round of the mlb draft coming out of high school). The south is a different story -- the idea that there is a "war on football" is strong there, and identifying with football is virtually a political statement.Pretty simple test - see who the suburban guys with college educated parents are.

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.

The only difference I see is if a kid gets a concussion up North, they have to stay out of the sport for a long time under Drs .

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.

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@AdamSchefter: Chris Borland was scheduled to make $530K this year, plus $10K workout bonus. Not many jobs pay 24-year-olds $540K for 6 months of work.

It almost angers me knows he took a job from someone that actually wanted it. Make your decisions before you leave college, don't ruin another guys chances of being picked in at spot then just abruptly leave.

Edited by Beef Jerky
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Interesting argument, but those same kids are playing hockey, lax and soccer in droves. All high concussion sports with Soccer considered the worst, high above those of football. The only difference I see is if a kid gets a concussion up North, they have to stay out of the sport for a long time under Drs supervision afterwards, especially after having a second one. Many of those kids move on to another less violent sport.

 

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

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It almost angers me knows he took a job from someone that actually wanted it. Make your decisions before you leave college, don't ruin another guys chances of being picked in at spot then just abruptly leave.

 

 

 

really this is what aggravates you ?

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I have had a number of concussions and they do mess you up. But if I had the chance to make that kind of money, and I was that worried about getting another hit to the noggin, I would just make sure I was a backup, not a starter. come to camp over weight, dont study or prep as hard, be relegated to 2nd team and then no more hits to the head AND you get to take home half a mil a season for the next 3 years.

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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.

 

 

All wrong.

 

The NFL reachd a sttlement withthe players to treat going forward for brain injury which will cost them at least a billion dollars. They have revised the on field protocol for concussion evaluation and return to play protocol.

 

How can you not know this at this point?

 

Anyway, all experts agree that it is the sum of hundreds of sub-concussive blows has the cumulative affecgt on the brain. It's likely that all of this in game and post game protocol is ultimately meaningless, but what else is the league supposed to do at this point?

 

Isn't this kid's early retirement proof that they are reaching player with these "awareness" efforts?

 

Weird post....

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