NFL offseason 1.0 thread

[Chico23231]

Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman John Urschel retires abruptly

wow...and that report was fairly scary

[SolidSnake84]

Originally Posted by Chico23231

Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman John Urschel retires abruptly

wow...and that report was fairly scary

Yes i agree 100%. For such a young guy considering, he made the right decision, IMO. We know so much more now about CTE than we did even five years ago. It is sad in one regard because if you believe the experts, you have some players that are showing early signs of CTE when they are still young adults in high school.

I worry about it sometimes too, because I played football from early in my life, all the way through middle school and through high school. After high school while in college, i got into boxing, having dozens of amateur fights. Some boxers i knew had already had 100 amateur fights before even turning pro. I experimented in MMA between 2007 and 2010, training in BJJ, already having a long background in Kenpo Karate. The "gym fights" are the ones you don't hear about and I obviously took major licks as all aspiring fighters do. I broke my neck after college and didn't even know about it at the time, only finding out when I failed my physical in 2010 just before I was going to have my first MMA fight as a professional, and had a fractured C7 vertebrae. I had been in a car accident a few years earlier when the injury happened, i didn't even know it at the time and i thought at the time my symptoms were just whiplash.

I am 100% healthy now and feel the best i've felt in years, and sometimes the desire to compete again is pretty strong. But what i know now about neck injuries, as well as CTE, i probably will never have another fight besides maybe some very light gym sparring and grappling. If I was not married, the desire to compete would probably be stronger but i am not going to tempt fate now. Prayers to anyone going through injuries / concerned about CTE....