Days after sparking a nationwide discourse on concussions and head trauma, former 49ers linebacker Chris Borland insists he wasn’t trying to be a trailblazer or flag-waver. He just wanted to make a simple, straightforward statement: Long-term health is more important than an NFL career.
Borland, one of the NFL’s top rookies last year, shocked the league Monday when he retired at 24 years old because of worries over football-related head injuries. He went more in depth the next day in an interview with ESPN regarding his decision – which has been a water-cooler topic ever since.
“It hurt to know that I was going to let the fans and the team down. But I just had to live my life,’’ said Borland, who led the 49ers in tackles last year, but followed former teammate Patrick Willis into early retirement. “If it could potentially kill you — I know that’s a drastic way to put it, but it is a possibility — that really puts it in perspective to me. To me, it just wasn’t what I wanted to do.
“I can relate from the outside looking in that it wouldn’t make sense to a lot of people, and I’ve had close friends who have said, ‘Well, why don’t you just play one more year, it’s a lot more money, you probably won’t get hurt.’ I just don’t want to get in a situation where I’m negotiating my health for money. Who knows how many hits is too many?’’
The shocking decision has made Borland into a household name and thrust concussions into the national consciousness, despite telling Outside The Lines that he wasn’t “eager to wave the banner, or be a poster child for anything, but inevitably this action makes a pretty profound statement.’’
When Borland – who suffered concussions in eighth grade and his sophomore year of high school and possibly a third in training camp – was asked exactly what that statement was, he answered “That health is more important than a career in football.’’
That career he’s walking away from included a four-year contract worth almost $3 million, including a $617,436 signing bonus. He’ll have to forfeit or return most of the money. But to Borland, it will be worth it, after seeing the damages other players have suffered from concussions.
In December, he started reading “League of Denial: The NFL, Concussions and the Battle for Truth,” by Steve Fainaru and Mark Fainaru-Wada, learning about the league’s efforts to suppress 20 years of data on football and brain damage.
“I kept it secret. You can’t be in the locker room reading ‘League of Denial,’ ” Borland said.
He also researched Mike Webster, Ray Easterling and Dave Duerson. Easterling and Duerson preserved their brains for science when committing suicide and were posthumously diagnosed with the trauma condition known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
“When people in your chosen profession shoot themselves in the chest, it causes you to be taken aback,’’ Borland said. “Again, you may be able to play for a long time and be healthy, but it caused me to pause and think.’’
