With one in four players suffering permanent brain injury, according to a recent report, maybe we all should.
"I quit the NFL over concerns of brain damage when I was 24. It was the most difficult and consequential decision of my life. And there was no way of knowing what would come next.
My retirement in 2015 became a lightning rod in the debate over football. Within days, I went from being a linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers to being a guest on “Face the Nation.”
The public response was polarized. I was alternately cast as a coward and lauded as a hero. Some pundits saw my decision as an inflection point for the sport. The NFL dismissed it as an anomaly.
I didn’t know what to think.
Suddenly, I was a poster boy for CTE. At the same time, I was young and just wanted to figure out what to do next. I wrestled with that dilemma for years.
More time has now passed since I left football than I ever spent playing the game. That realization has caused me to reflect..."
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