49ers Linebacker Chris Borland Retiring.

[rlkats]

Well if Borland is truly worried of his health and retired because of so. Then my hat is off to him. Either way its his life and he should feel free to do so without a bunch of couch potato fans sitting there and calling him names because his health is more important to him than money. Oh by the way im speaking about the niners fans talking crap. Actually good to hear a fan base of another team actually have a constructive word to say.

 

[SomersetHawk]

We'll trade you Brock Coyle for a 1st.

 

[UK_Seahawk]

I agree the NFL has got to seriously address the ability to use the helmet as a way of tackling. Blatant head shots are punished (I'll leave the discussion on whether this is enough) but to me the rigid nature of the helmet allows players to take risks that they might not otherwise do sans helmet.

You dont see these types of injuries in Rugby or Aussie Rules (both very violent games) and I think it's precisely because the helmets are either soft or not there at all.

Fair play to Borland, I wish he had won DROY and maybe this would have made the NFL sit up and take notice a little bit more.

 

[theENGLISHseahawk]

I understand the decision, but can't help but wonder why he didn't contemplate this before allowing a professional franchise to invest their faith in him. Has he really not considered this prior to one single year in the pro's?

As for the Niners, what a total mess.

 

[hawknation2015]

I applaud his decision. He gets his health (and hopefully he makes some sound investments with that signing bonus) and the 49ers lose another starting LB. It truly is a win-win.

 

[seabowl]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/Bwagz54/status/577675890164813826[/tweet]

Give this man his lifetime contract.

And a lesson in grammar.

 

[themunn]

This is all due to the new CBA. Before, rookies could get paid right out the gates. Then it was worth it to them because football doesn't come with any guarantees. Now it comes with even less. Players don't get paid and they might never get paid. Especially with a pool of cheap labor replacements waiting in the wings. It might not have seemed "fair" that rookies came in with bigger contracts than vets, but it was stupid of the players to lobby for cheap rookie contracts. They undermined their own chances of a fat payday.

And with the reality hitting the new rookies entering the league that you have to last four years for peanuts just to maybe get replaced by another player who is cheaper, it suddenly doesn't seem worth the risk anymore.

Really it should have come with a rookie paycap in year one, but the ability to restructure after that first year instead of waiting 3 years. You think if the Niners had turned around and offered Borland (who earned c.$700k last year) a fairly average for the position 4 year $20-25m contract (now that he's proven good enough to earn it) he'd have retired?
Maybe, but also maybe he'd have played 2-4 years of that contract then retired with a fat payday. Instead he's got to play 2-3 more years at a high impact position and then possibly end up with a long-term injury all for $2m more. That's obviously a lot of money for 3 years work to you and me, but also a lot of risk that just isn't worth it. I think it's criminal that a player could play for 4 years at the highest level and only get rewarded for it if they're still healthy at the end of it all

 

[Scottemojo]

Good for Borland. Playing is not a requirement.

 

[Largent80]

Smart move by Borland. And for the 9ers at least he did it before the draft so maybe they can target a LB.

 

[Hawks46]

Good post teamofthecentury.

I have two boys and I plan to let them play football when they're old enough.

From all the research I've been through, it seems that limiting impact until a child is 12 is very helpful. A child's brain is much smaller than his skull when they're younger, to allow growth. The precursor, or foundation if you will, of CTE has been linked to multiple impacts that cause the brain to slosh back and forth inside the skull. They aren't getting concussions, but they are jostling the brain quite a bit. When they do get concussions, it builds upon all that previous movement. So, having your younger children play flag football, then putting them in tackle when they're older will probably help. Plus, when a kid is older, he'll take coaching and training in proper form tackling a bit better, theoretically.

Soccer is tough on the skull because of headers. Anyone that played soccer knows, that ball is hard. You're taking it right on the head, and it sloshes the brain around the same way. The thing is, no one realized this. Coaches have their kids practice headers in practice, over and over. So, you're getting the reps that you would in football.

 

[volsunghawk]

I understand the decision, but can't help but wonder why he didn't contemplate this before allowing a professional franchise to invest their faith in him. Has he really not considered this prior to one single year in the pro's?

As for the Niners, what a total mess.

Well, couple of things... I seem to recall hearing that he got a concussion during the preseason, and that made a lot of the CTE discussion more real for him.

On the other hand, there's a part of me that wonders if Borland's decision to retire was made easier by the dumpster fire 49ers offseason. Lots of teammates and coaches gone, and lots of questions about whether the team will even be competitive this coming season.

 

[SomersetHawk]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/DangeRussWilson/status/577671502729908225[/tweet]

 

[RockinHawks]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/Bwagz54/status/577675890164813826[/tweet]

Give this man his lifetime contract.

I second the motion. Best tweet of the year.

 

[Hawksfanatik]

Tis' a trying time to be a 49er fan.

 

[Marvin49]

You can't tell me he'd be retiring with Harbaugh still coaching. I just really think he wanted to leave that dumpster fire like all their other star players. Wouldn't be surprised to see him back.

Seriously?

He's giving up MILLIONS just because he doesn't like the coaching change?

Come on man...you're better than that.

As for my opinion of Borland? Man...that's a tough decision he just made and I'm confident he didn't take the choice lightly. I don't think I could have done what he just did if I were in his shoes. That said, as much as it'll hurt my favorite team on Sundays, I respect his decision. Looking at your life with that kind of perspective is rare for a 24 year old man....or for that matter even a 34 or 44 year old man.

I just hope he doesn't regret it. That's life changing money to support your family for generations.

 

[volsunghawk]

You can't tell me he'd be retiring with Harbaugh still coaching. I just really think he wanted to leave that dumpster fire like all their other star players. Wouldn't be surprised to see him back.

Seriously?

He's giving up MILLIONS just because he doesn't like the coaching change?

Come on man...you're better than that.

As for my opinion or Borland? Man...that's a tough decision he just made and I'm confident he didn't take the choice lightly. I don't think I could have done what he just did if I were in his shoes. That said, as much as it'll hurt my favorite team on Sundays, I respect his decision. Looking at your life with that kind of perspective is rare for a 24 year old man....or for that matter even a 34 or 44 year old man.

I just hope he doesn't regret it. That's life changing money for generations that he might be leaving on the table.

After taxes, he's not really giving up "millions." His best shot at a payday like that would have been 3 years down the road.

Granted, this is pure speculation on my part, so take it for what it's worth... but I do wonder if there was a price point for him where he felt if he was sure he'd be able to earn X amount of money, it'd be worth the risk to stick around. And he might have concerns that the state/direction of the 49ers franchise right now would not be conducive to his earning potential. There are a lot of pieces around Borland that have disappeared over the last several months, and that will absolutely impact his on-field performance. What if 3 years down the road, he's got games missed due to injury/concussion while playing on a defense that is a shadow of its former self? Is he looking at a huge payday then? Is it worth the gamble?

 

[Marvin49]

You can't tell me he'd be retiring with Harbaugh still coaching. I just really think he wanted to leave that dumpster fire like all their other star players. Wouldn't be surprised to see him back.

Seriously?

He's giving up MILLIONS just because he doesn't like the coaching change?

Come on man...you're better than that.

As for my opinion or Borland? Man...that's a tough decision he just made and I'm confident he didn't take the choice lightly. I don't think I could have done what he just did if I were in his shoes. That said, as much as it'll hurt my favorite team on Sundays, I respect his decision. Looking at your life with that kind of perspective is rare for a 24 year old man....or for that matter even a 34 or 44 year old man.

I just hope he doesn't regret it. That's life changing money for generations that he might be leaving on the table.

After taxes, he's not really giving up "millions." His best shot at a payday like that would have been 3 years down the road.

Granted, this is pure speculation on my part, so take it for what it's worth... but I do wonder if there was a price point for him where he felt if he was sure he'd be able to earn X amount of money, it'd be worth the risk to stick around. And he might have concerns that the state/direction of the 49ers franchise right now would not be conducive to his earning potential. There are a lot of pieces around Borland that have disappeared over the last several months, and that will absolutely impact his on-field performance. What if 3 years down the road, he's got games missed due to injury/concussion while playing on a defense that is a shadow of its former self? Is he looking at a huge payday then? Is it worth the gamble?

That's what I mean. If his career continued as it started he'd have been a very rich man...particularly with NFL salaries inflating as they are.

I do find it really amusing tho how many people in any way attribute this stuff to the coaching change. If they didn't like the coach they could have tried to get released or traded. Retire? come on now. Dude is 24. Its not like he was just hanging on by a thread.

 

[volsunghawk]

You can't tell me he'd be retiring with Harbaugh still coaching. I just really think he wanted to leave that dumpster fire like all their other star players. Wouldn't be surprised to see him back.

Seriously?

He's giving up MILLIONS just because he doesn't like the coaching change?

Come on man...you're better than that.

As for my opinion or Borland? Man...that's a tough decision he just made and I'm confident he didn't take the choice lightly. I don't think I could have done what he just did if I were in his shoes. That said, as much as it'll hurt my favorite team on Sundays, I respect his decision. Looking at your life with that kind of perspective is rare for a 24 year old man....or for that matter even a 34 or 44 year old man.

I just hope he doesn't regret it. That's life changing money for generations that he might be leaving on the table.

After taxes, he's not really giving up "millions." His best shot at a payday like that would have been 3 years down the road.

Granted, this is pure speculation on my part, so take it for what it's worth... but I do wonder if there was a price point for him where he felt if he was sure he'd be able to earn X amount of money, it'd be worth the risk to stick around. And he might have concerns that the state/direction of the 49ers franchise right now would not be conducive to his earning potential. There are a lot of pieces around Borland that have disappeared over the last several months, and that will absolutely impact his on-field performance. What if 3 years down the road, he's got games missed due to injury/concussion while playing on a defense that is a shadow of its former self? Is he looking at a huge payday then? Is it worth the gamble?

That's what I mean. If his career continued as it started he'd have been a very rich man...particularly with NFL salaries inflating as they are.

Right, but his career started with Vic Fangio and Jim Harbaugh leading a team that had 3 straight NFCCG appearances under its belt and ranked as one of the top defenses in the league. That team began 7-4 and then went 1-4 over its last 5 games. That's got to factor into Borland's decision. The team that takes the field in Week 1 of 2015 is going to be nothing like the team Borland started with. Lots of talent has flown out the door, and I think Borland might have a legitimate concern about the organization's moves impacting his earning potential in the future.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

Maybe there's something to Borland quitting football now because he doesn't want to risk his health on a bad football team.

But IMO that's maybe 20% of it, the 80% is truly not wanting to put his body and brain in danger for the next 4-5 years just to make a bunch of money doing something he's not passionate about.

Too many people hyper focus on the money these guys make, and money simply doesn't make you happy. It just doesn't. So I commend people like Borland in all walks of life and jobs quitting to find something they're passionate about.

Life's too short to spend all your time doing something you're not passionate about. So good for Borland for recognizing that at such a young age.

 

[Uncle Si]

Maybe there's something to Borland quitting football now because he doesn't want to risk his health on a bad football team.

But IMO that's maybe 20% of it, the 80% is truly not wanting to put his body and brain in danger for the next 4-5 years just to make a bunch of money doing something he's not passionate about.

Too many people hyper focus on the money these guys make, and money simply doesn't make you happy. It just doesn't. So I commend people like Borland in all walks of life and jobs quitting to find something they're passionate about.

Life's too short to spend all your time doing something you're not passionate about. So good for Borland for recognizing that at such a young age.

Agree here. I feel like some are taking unnecessary shots at the 9ers when this looks a decision more about the sport and less about the team.