Chris Borland and the new trend of young players retiring

Within this past week, the fifth NFL player under the age of 30 has decided to retire. These players include Patrick Willis, Cortland Finnegan, Jake Locker, Jason Worilds, and probably the most shocking of all, Chris Borland.

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Retiring from the game of football at such a young age is not only a controversial topic but also makes you think about what you would do in that situation. If you really pay attention to how these players grew up and understand that they were a part of the sport before you or I even knew who they were, retiring young because of injury makes sense.

But, on the flip side, being in the game for that long brings up the logic regarding that players know what they’re in for. Playing for high school and college is much different from the NFL, as everyone knows, but no matter what level the game is being played at, the player is still at risk for injury, especially concussions. With that being said, it can be questioned as to why Chris Borland decided to retire at such a young age.

Nonetheless, we applaud him. Putting his personal safety before future monetary gain is something most professional athletes have not chosen to do when it was a choice between their health and continuing to play the game. It’s more than a game though and that is what people are failing to see. These players are people too and it’s their lives at risk.

This entire situation can change things for the NFL. While some of you may believe that is too drastic of a statement to make, it makes sense. If players are retiring at younger and younger ages because they don’t want to risk their personal health, then what happens when there aren’t even enough players in the NFL draft to replace those players?

There’s also the perspective of parents. They know their children look up to professional athletes and everyone knows children are impressionable. If they see their favorite linebacker retired at a young age, whether to pursue a different goal or not, that child may never want to follow in their footsteps as they once did. Children are not only the future but they’re the future of football and this trend of young athletes retiring could cause a tremendous decline in the way that we know football.

However, all of these negative things need to be overlooked for the moment and these players, such as Borland, need to be recognized as courageous for standing up and saying that their lives are more important than the game, contrary to popular belief.

Next: Updated roster needs after the free agency frenzy

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