49ers Linebacker Chris Borland Retiring.

[Marvin49]

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.

We'll have to agree to disagree.

I think its just craziness to think a guy would RETIRE because of a coaching change at the age 24...or even 30 in the case of Willis.

Players don't think they have no chance. Players don't view these things the same way fans and media do. They always think they have a chance. To me, peeps who suggest the change at HC is a reason for these retirements are people who WANT that to be true (fans of other teams) or fans who hate Jed York (many Niner fans right now).

 

[kpak76]

Most of the official 49ers forum thinks he's just a wuss of a quitter trying to get away from York. They're treating him pretty harshly.

Id like to think we would be different. Not sure though.

Highly doubt it. We have our share of douche bag fans that cant see past their own agendas too.

 

[Popeyejones]

Most of the official 49ers forum thinks he's just a wuss of a quitter trying to get away from York. They're treating him pretty harshly.

Id like to think we would be different. Not sure though.

Highly doubt it. We have our share of douche bag fans that cant see past their own agendas too.

We also need to consider the reliabiity of the narration.

I only read the first four or five pages of that thread, but not once did I see anyone calling him a wuss, and there was one person (out of maybe 40) who said it had anything to do with York.

I have no doubt that in the 600+ posts in that thread that there are some idiots who have expressed those sentiments, but "most" is a complete and total load of horse manure.

Edit: Just skimmed through some more pages at random. MOST people (by far) aren't attaching any valence to the decision at all, and are instead commiserating on how everything is going wrong for the 9ers this offseason and how the team is screwed.

From simply browsing through, it looks like most people expressing an evaluative valence to the decision are saying they understand and respect the decision. Then of course there are a few other fatalists/conspiracy theorists saying he was quitting just to get away fom the 9ers. Still have yet to see a single person suggest he's a wuss or not a "real man" or such nonsense. Maybe someone in that 60+ page thread said that, maybe more than one, but reporting back that it is the general belief on that forum is patently ridiculous.

 

[volsunghawk]

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.

We'll have to agree to disagree.

I think its just craziness to think a guy would RETIRE because of a coaching change at the age 24...or even 30 in the case of Willis.

Players don't think they have no chance. Players don't view these things the same way fans and media do. They always think they have a chance. To me, peeps who suggest the change at HC is a reason for these retirements are people who WANT that to be true (fans of other teams) or fans who hate Jed York (many Niner fans right now).

I'm not saying that the coaching change would be the primary cause for the retirement at all. I'm suggesting that the sheer number of departures of strong coaches and outstanding teammates in such a short time might be a contributing factor for Borland. Not the ONLY factor.

People in all kinds of professions have to do a sort of cost-benefit analysis when deciding whether to continue with their current employer or to depart for different pastures. I think Borland might have done something similar. Now, maybe Borland is the kind of guy who just looked at the concussion study and said, "Okay, that's enough for me. I'm done. No question." That's certainly possible. But maybe he looked at the concussion study, looked at his own injury history, looked at his earning potential and considered how it might be impacted going forward by the tumultuous offseason that SF has had, etc. Maybe he factored in a lot of different things.

You say that players "always think they have a chance." Well, players also don't retire at 24. The "NFL players" aren't a collective hive-mind. Some guys are going to have that never-say-die mentality and believe that they can accomplish anything. Some guys are going to be a little more circumspect, perhaps.

 

[kpak76]

Most of the official 49ers forum thinks he's just a wuss of a quitter trying to get away from York. They're treating him pretty harshly.

Id like to think we would be different. Not sure though.

Highly doubt it. We have our share of douche bag fans that cant see past their own agendas too.

We also need to consider the reliabiity of the narration.

I only read the first four or five pages of that thread, but not once did I see anyone calling him a wuss, and there was one person (out of maybe 40) who said it had anything to do with York.

I have no doubt that in the 600+ posts in that thread that there are some idiots who have expressed those sentiments, but "most" is a complete and total load of horse manure.

Edit: Just skimmed through some more pages at random. MOST people (by far) aren't attaching any valence to the decision at all, and are instead commiserating on how everything is going wrong for the 9ers this offseason and how the team is screwed.

From simply browsing through, it looks like most people expressing an evaluative valence to the decision are saying they understand and respect the decision. Then of course there are a few other fatalists/conspiracy theorists saying he was quitting just to get away fom the 9ers. Still have yet to see a single person suggest he's a wuss or not a "real man" or such nonsense. Maybe someone in that 60+ page thread said that, maybe more than one, but reporting back that it is the general belief on that forum is patently ridiculous.

Actually there were a couple on the 49ers.com message board (much better than the nutzone imo) that called him a quitter. I don't get this respinse because its not like any of them are lacing up to stop Marshawn Lynch.

 

[Popeyejones]

People in all kinds of professions have to do a sort of cost-benefit analysis when deciding whether to continue with their current employer or to depart for different pastures.

Key phrase, and the key slippage.

People absolutely may do a cost-benefit analysis when deciding to leave an employer for another employer.

People may also absolutely do a cost-benefit analysis when deciding to leave an industry for another industry.

People, however, DO NOT do a cost-benefit analysis of their employer when deciding to leave an industry for another industry, as that doesn't make any sense, never has, and never will.

 

[Popeyejones]

Actually there were a couple on the 49ers.com message board (much better than the nutzone imo) that called him a quitter. I don't get this respinse because its not like any of them are lacing up to stop Marshawn Lynch.

Oh, yeah, in perusing the thread I didn't see any of those people, but it doesn't even remotely suprise me that in a 60 page thread there are some people expressing that sentiment there. Of course there are. There are idiots everywhere. :lol:

I was only objecting to the reliability of Roland's narration that most of the people on that forum think he's a wuss or a quitter, as even a cursory persual of the thread makes it quite obvious that Roland's full of it in his summary. Pick a random page, or a random five pages of that thread; if that's the sentiment that most people on that page are expressing I'll never post here again. It's just simply untrue and a blatant mischaracterization.

Again, the overwhelming sentiment doesn't even have anything to do with typifying Borland, it's surprise, disappointment, despondence about this off-season or what it means for the team, etc. From what I saw, if anything, the people who say they understand his decision outnumber the people who are pissed at him about out or using his retirement as justification to express their disapproval of York.

 

[kf3339]

Borland did not retire. He QUIT. There is a big difference.

You don't play only 8 NFL games in your first season and have the right to say that you're RETIRING for any reason. He had no injury or concussion history. If he is afraid of what might happen he should never had put on a helmet in the first place. There are many people who would have loved to get he chance to live that dream of playing in the NFL. Including me.

I am only 5'6" and about 140 pounds. I was even lighter than that in high school and college. I didn't have the size to play, but loved the game. So I became a photojournalist and was able to share a small part of their experience from college to the NFL for 15 years. As much as I enjoyed that part of my life, it just wasn't the same as if I could have put on a helmet and played.

So for me to hear a guy make a statement that includes the word RETIRED with so little actual playing time in the NFL just makes me sick. He has known the risks since he started playing. Coaches, family, medical professionals, ect. had to have made him aware of the risks long before he came to the NFL.

So let's at least get the term right. HE QUIT. That is his legacy. Nothing more to it.

 

[Popeyejones]

^^^Semantics.

Chris Borland decided not to play football anymore.

Happy?

 

[kpak76]

Borland did not retire. He QUIT. There is a big difference.

You don't play only 8 NFL games in your first season and have the right to say that you're RETIRING for any reason. He had no injury or concussion history. If he is afraid of what might happen he should never had put on a helmet in the first place. There are many people who would have loved to get he chance to live that dream of playing in the NFL. Including me.

I am only 5'6" and about 140 pounds. I was even lighter than that in high school and college. I didn't have the size to play, but loved the game. So I became a photojournalist and was able to share a small part of their experience from college to the NFL for 15 years. As much as I enjoyed that part of my life, it just wasn't the same as if I could have put on a helmet and played.

So for me to hear a guy make a statement that includes the word RETIRED with so little actual playing time in the NFL just makes me sick. He has known the risks since he started playing. Coaches, family, medical professionals, ect. had to have made him aware of the risks long before he came to the NFL.

So let's at least get the term right. HE QUIT. That is his legacy. Nothing more to it.

Violates .NET forum policy.

 

[twisted_steel2]

There are many people who would have loved to get he chance to live that dream of playing in the NFL

And now there will be 1 more roster spot for someone to fulfill their dream.

Why so salty?

 

[kpak76]

^^^Semantics.

Chris Borland decided not to play football anymore.

Happy?

Nice of you to take the high road. Because the comment you're responding to is lacking in many things. Sensibility to begin with.

 

[byau]

Incredible...and I couldn't support him any stronger. I love football, but without major changes to the game, my son will not play, and most friends of mine with kids (all sports fans, several season ticket holders) feel the same way.

Mine neither, although he's a scrawny little kid that would never make it anyways. But he won't be playing football at any level. If he really wants to, he can play flag football.

Yet you both have no problem watching the game? I can respect a parents decision, but - to me - it's an inconsistent message. "We can watch, but you can't play." (We're too important, they're not?) Maybe it's just me... but, if I'm going to tell my boys they cannot play, then I have NO business watching it and supporting it.

I have two boys playing (one High School and one in Youth football.) I think if they weren't very good, I'd probably steer them to other things because the risk might not be worth the reward at that point. But, they're passionate about the game (see Bobby Wagner's tweet) and they have enjoyed success on the field. They both have aspirations of playing college ball and I hope they make it. They're training hard year round.

(quoted for brevity)

Good points, all of them, and the thing for me is there is a balance, and each family and each parent will have a balance they're comfortable with. Sure you can see an inconsistent message, that inconsistent message will show up eventually depending on where that parent finds a comfort level.

There are a lot of things that I watch (that I expect all of us to watch) that I don't think we'd get involved with. Any extreme sports? MMA? Evil Knievel? Professional wrestling and jumping off a jumbotron? Escape artists?

So I can see for some people that balance is drawn with professional football.

On to Borland: super surprised, and at the same time when you think about it, not surprised. Now I'm just wondering who's the next show to drop. Overall, you can't fault a guy for making decisions based on health and wanting to have a quality life with friends and family.

 

[Marvin49]

Borland did not retire. He QUIT. There is a big difference.

You don't play only 8 NFL games in your first season and have the right to say that you're RETIRING for any reason. He had no injury or concussion history. If he is afraid of what might happen he should never had put on a helmet in the first place. There are many people who would have loved to get he chance to live that dream of playing in the NFL. Including me.

I am only 5'6" and about 140 pounds. I was even lighter than that in high school and college. I didn't have the size to play, but loved the game. So I became a photojournalist and was able to share a small part of their experience from college to the NFL for 15 years. As much as I enjoyed that part of my life, it just wasn't the same as if I could have put on a helmet and played.

So for me to hear a guy make a statement that includes the word RETIRED with so little actual playing time in the NFL just makes me sick. He has known the risks since he started playing. Coaches, family, medical professionals, ect. had to have made him aware of the risks long before he came to the NFL.

So let's at least get the term right. HE QUIT. That is his legacy. Nothing more to it.

uh....that's completely false.

He had no documented concussion history, but stated he had one and hid it in preseason.

The injury history thing tho you are WAAAAYYY off base. He had a TON of injury history with his shoulders in college and that continued into the NFL. Many teams took him off their draft board because of those injuries and its one reason he was still sitting there in the 3rd round. He also ended the year on IR with a bad ankle.

 

[volsunghawk]

People in all kinds of professions have to do a sort of cost-benefit analysis when deciding whether to continue with their current employer or to depart for different pastures.

Key phrase, and the key slippage.

People absolutely may do a cost-benefit analysis when deciding to leave an employer for another employer.

People may also absolutely do a cost-benefit analysis when deciding to leave an industry for another industry.

People, however, DO NOT do a cost-benefit analysis of their employer when deciding to leave an industry for another industry, as that doesn't make any sense, never has, and never will.

I'd disagree. I think it's perfectly reasonable (and certainly not totally implausible) for a person considering a major life-change with regard to their future career to look soberly and objectively at the health of their current employer (especially since that employer is the only one in the industry that Borland can work for in the foreseeable future). Something along the lines of:

1. This industry is dangerous. I may want to consider changing industries if I think the risk is too high.

2. Does my current employer - to whom I'm contracted for 3 more years - offer enough in benefits to justify continuing in the industry? Benefits to consider are:

a. Opportunity to reach organizational professional goals
b. Opportunity to reach personal professional goals
c. Opportunity to maximize earning potential
d. Positive work environment
e. Positive work relationships

It just seems to me that many of the leaders - both on the field and off - that Borland could have looked to for guidance in the league are now gone. A lot of the building blocks that Borland might feel contribute significantly to those benefits listed above have disappeared. And if Borland feels that the organization to which he is contractually obligated isn't providing enough positives to outweigh the risks, how is that outside the bounds of reason?

Again, I'm not suggesting that the turmoil in Santa Clara is the only reason for Borland's retirement. I'm not even suggesting it's a primary or secondary factor. I am, however, wondering if maybe this is a scenario where that turmoil makes it easier for him to walk away.

 

[Popeyejones]

Overall, you can't fault a guy for making decisions based on health and wanting to have a quality life with friends and family.

Yep, not at all.

TBF, now that news is coming out that his family has known about him thinking about seriously about this decision since before he was drafted, I can also understand why some 9ers fans or even the F.O. feels jilted a little bit.

I don't personally feel that way -- life is complicated, major life decisions are hard -- but I do think it's possible for 9ers fans by annoyed/angry/upset/disappointed by his decision and when he finalized it, while also respecting his right to make it.

 

[Popeyejones]

a. Opportunity to reach organizational professional goals
b. Opportunity to reach personal professional goals
c. Opportunity to maximize earning potential
d. Positive work environment
e. Positive work relationships

Okay. Let's take your list and do the thought experiement then, assigning a "PLUS" for areas in which his prospects increased, a "MINUS" for the areas in which his prospects decreased, and an "N/A" for areas in which an assignment would be enitrely too subjective or based on wildly limited knowledge. Then we can add it up and see if the theory holds.

A: Opportunity to reach organizational professional goals: MINUS -- It could be that playing on a believed-to-be Super Bowl contending team is what was keeping Borland in the NFL.

B: Opportunity to reach personal professional goals: PLUS-- Unless his personal professional goal was to be a backup, this year would have ABSOLUTELY been a plus. Unlike last year he was penciled in to be a starter. This is an undeniable plus by your metrics, and not close.

C: Opportunity to maximize earning potential: PLUS -- As a starter he ABSOLUTELY has more opportunity to maximize his earning potential in three years than as a backup. This is too is an undeniable plus by your metrics, and not close.

D: Positive work environment -- N/A, TRENDING PLUS: While in the first three years under Harbaugh, it is no secret that the 9ers were a relatively difficult work environment with lots of conflict, that was particularly the case last year, Borland's one year with the team. Seahawks fans should remember this, as they relished in it. Likewise we know that the F.O. felt that one of the major positives of Tomsula as a hire is that he's a peacemaker, and is well liked throughout the organization. We have to guess on this one, but the positive work environment, if forced to be a guess, has got to be a plus (or we can call it an N/A, whatever).*

E: Positive work relationships -- N/A: We simply don't know. If you have any actual insight into who Borland's friends on the team are, by all means, share it, but we can't assign a valence to this anyway.

So, adding up from the list you constructed yourself, the likelihood of your theory of organizational motivation seems incredibly unlikely. If anything, based on your list, we'd expect Borland to be MORE committed to staying in the NFL than he was last year.


More importantly, just to reiterate, the above was an academic exercise, and IMO, a silly, one. His family is now saying that before even playing a down in the NFL he had serious doubts about if he wanted to play. That this has to do with the team he happened to be playing for simply isn't something I buy. It just doesn't make a lick of sense.


*Also worth saying that it's funny to see Hawks fans, who when Harbaugh was head coach of the 9ers never stopped recounting how much players hate playing for Harbaugh (e.g. Sherman, Baldwin), are now that he's gone arguing that 9ers player want to leave because they're NOT playing for Harbaugh. Riiiiiiiight.

 

[Hawks46]

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.

Good points. You have to have a ton of drive, passion and "want to" to keep doing things like playing football to yourself over and over again, for years on end.

These guys are in a ton of pain during the season. Then, you start to feel and get right in the offseason, and you have about 1-2 months after being healthy before you start it all over again. Plus they have to keep in shape all year; if you don't then you're probably going to be injured at some point until you get back into shape (when you start OTC's ,TC, etc).

Think about it. Anyone over 35 or so would understand. Most people are calling these guys "old" when they hit their late 20's. Most of us would give anything to go back to how we felt in our late 20's.

I'm not that old, 42 to be exact. I've had 3 decently major surgeries due to the Marine Corps and playing life hard. Up until about 40, I would've played Pro Football. Recently, knowing how I feel a lot of the times, being in the NFL doesn't hold the shine for me it used to, and I LOVE football (hell look at my # of posts). Your 40's, 50's and on is a hell of a long time to feel like shit every day when you get up in the morning.

 

[ringless]

We have to remember that Borland has clearly spent a lot of time around players, ex players etc. Borland has first hand experience on seeing rehabs on injuries, the long term effects on others. I mean can you imagine the quality of life that Tony Romo is going to have in his 40s? No thank you. It's very possible that he has spoken to a lot of players, and that a lot of players may wish that they hadn't played football.... Maybe he doesn't want his brain be slammed against its skull for 5-10 years and getting cognitive diseases. Maybe he is willing to be an average person who can enjoy a good quality of life

 

[Popeyejones]

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.

Yeah, absolutely agreed with this too.

Personal story to follow, which I don't think I've ever recounted before (online or otherwise), so please skip if you don't care/don't want to read a personal story.


At the time my HS had a major football program. In HS I played with three guys who made the NFL, and probably another 7 or 8 guys who played on D1 scholarships. Since we had become a major program I was the only guy across the program who got put up to varsity as a Sophomore. Come Senior year I was starting to get recruited (invited to a football camp, got the first round of initiation letters from about 15-20 D1 programs; nothing too serious, a lot of people get this stuff, but the process was starting).

I thought a lot about it, but the truth was, I just didn't really like playing football anymore. I kept breaking my fingers, had a major injury (that I still deal with, actually), am just not that competitive of a person, and had something happen in my personal life that made me decide I wasn't going to please other people anymore by doing things that I didn't actually like doing.

I thought about sticking with it and using football to go to an ivy just to get the best education I could, but ultimately decided I didn't want to do that because even if I did I'd have to play football while there, or quit as soon as I got there, which just felt kinda wrong.

So, I ended up quiting, and didn't even play my senior year. My coaches tried to talk me out of it, they even offered that I could play any position I wanted (I was supposed to be a team captain), but my heart just wasn't in it anymore.

And I left the team in the lurch a little bit, because I wasn't certain about my decision until the season was close to starting.

It's still the best decision I ever made. After college I went back and coached for a few years, but I've never regretted quiting for a moment. About four or five years back when cleaning out junk from my mom's house I came across all the letters. I didn't remember that I had never even opened them. :lol: 10+ years later it was oddly with a relief that I just threw them away.

Long story short, this is all on a MUCH, MUCH smaller scale than Borland (I had a chance to maybe not pay for college, and that's it), but I totally understand his decision.