Yesterday, it was announced that Chris Borland, a 24-year-old rookie who recently signed a four season, $3 million contract with the San Francisco 49ers, will retire from the NFL. Why would a young athlete with brilliant prospects retire before his career truly begins? According to Borland, the risk of permanent brain damage as a result of football concussions is just too high.
An article appearing online on CNN states that Borland told an ESPN reporter that the first time he “got his bell rung” was at a training camp over the summer. Though he finished out the day, Borland began to think about the consequences of a career of concussions and how they may affect him for the rest of his life. After reading about long-lasting effects of concussions and talking at length with his family members and teammates, Borland opted to retire.
“I just honestly want to do what’s best for my health,” he told ESPN. “From what I’ve researched and what I’ve experienced, I don’t think it’s worth the risk. … I’m concerned that if you wait (until) you have symptoms, it’s too late.”
Borland says that some of his teammates supported his decision, though others questioned the wisdom of turning down his $3 million contract and $600,000 bonus. To Borland, though, the money was not enough to compensate for the risk of permanent brain damage.
Though a number of NFL players have retired after concussions, Borland is the first to do so before he even encounters the issues brought on by multiple concussions. Recently, light has been shed on issues known to plague current and retired football players who have suffered years of concussions, including early dementia, memory and cognitive issues, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
Last year, thousands of former NFL players and their family members filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL and recovered compensation for concussion-related injuries as well as for long-term care for retired players who may suffer from these injuries. Among the plaintiffs was Chris Dronett, whose husband, former Denver Bronco player Shane Dronett, was found to have evidence of CTE in his brain after his suicide in 2009. Other former NFL players whose suicides may be linked to CTE resulting from head traumas include Mike Webster, Dave Duerson, Ray Easterling, and Junior Seau.
In addition to the above-mentioned class-action lawsuit, former NFL players have also filed concussion lawsuits against the NFL Players Association, and similar actions have been taken against college football leagues. If you believe that your memory problems, depression, or your loved one’s suffering could be a result of repeated brain damage from concussions playing in the NFL or another football league, you could be entitled to compensation. For more information on football head injury lawsuits, contact an experienced personal injury lawyer.
