Ravens C John Urschel on Thursday became the 34th player to "retire at age 30 or younger" in the past two offseasons, the latest sign NFLers are "considering their futures" amid more evidence of the connection between football and CTE, according to C.J. Doon of the Baltimore SUN. The latest example came Tuesday, when a Boston Univ. report found CTE was found in the brains of 110 of 111 former players. Urschel's off-field pursuits have "been well-documented, and explain why he’s choosing his health above all else." However, it "doesn’t take a Ph.D. to see the risks" of playing football (Baltimore SUN, 7/28). In Baltimore, Walker, Dance & Zrebiec in a front-page piece note the "recent trend of players retiring at or near their physical primes began" in '15, when 49ers LB Chris Borland "walked away after just one season over concerns about head injuries." Other players who "followed his example" included Bills LB A.J. Tarpley, Jets OT D’Brickashaw Ferguson, 49ers OT Anthony Davis and, most recently, Patriots WR Andrew Hawkins (Baltimore SUN, 7/28). ESPN's Michael Wilbon asked, "Aren’t you curious about people leaving in the middle of their football careers now to go do other things?” ESPN's Tony Kornheiser: “I think it’s completely related to CTE” (“PTI,” ESPN, 7/27).
HEAD SMART: In DC, Adam Kilgore writes Urschel "deserves credit for making an informed decision he believed to be best for him and his interests." It is "easy to assume Urschel was influenced by the study," but it "would be hard to believe those findings would have surprised Urschel or any other football player with the slightest awareness of what damage playing the sport invites" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/28). In N.Y., Evan Grossman writes, "The smartest player in the NFL just made the smartest decision of his life." Urschel is "too smart to continue ignoring what the rest of us choose not to believe." He will not "endanger himself playing a game that is clearly dangerous" when he "has the option to quit." Grossman: "If the smartest guy in the league decides football is too dangerous, when are the rest of us going to realize the same thing?" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 7/28).
CALL TO ACTION? Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross on Thursday said people throughout the NFL are "all concerned about" the latest CTE report. He said the lasting impact of blows to the head are obviously "things of concern." Ross: "So much attention, time and efforts are going toward making sure the sport is safer. They’ve done many, many rules changes over the last number of years, to do that. And you know I think we’ll just keep doing that, until we find a solution" (PALM BEACH POST, 7/27). A S.F. CHRONICLE editorial states that the CTE report "should spur the NFL, whose leaders shamefully ignored the problem for years, to follow through on a commitment to study the risks in a thorough and impartial way." The editorial: "By setting a standard at the top of the sport, the NFL can dictate changes for college, high school and younger teams. Safer helmets, penalties against head to head contact and other reforms are a starting point along with admitting the undeniable risks of a high-speed body-slamming sport" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 7/28). But former Chargers team doctor David Chao in a special to the SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE writes, "Let’s get to the truth about concussions and CTE. Let’s stop the media and public hysteria. ... Both sides need to stop the campaigning for their agenda and let science take the lead" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 7/28).
JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS? In Seattle, Matt Calkins wrote CTE has "become one of the football world’s chief talking points over the past few years." However, it "certainly hasn’t done much to affect TV viewership or participation." Some "might point to the NFL’s declining TV ratings last year and argue that some of America finally understands these are modern-day gladiators." But the ratings drops were "far more likely the result of the presidential election and lack of compelling matchups." Youth football participation "hasn’t plunged, either." While it is "worth noting that the uptick in youth flag-football participation was much higher" in recent years, the "idea that the sport is on the downslope lacks concrete evidence" (SEATTLE TIMES, 7/27).
FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME: In Salt Lake City, Gordon Monson writes under the header, "How Much Longer Can We Love Football While Ignoring The Brain-Trauma Research?" Perhaps "more research will come to different or at least more promising conclusions." Monson: "I hope, hope, hope that's it. But is it? What if it's not?" (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 7/28).
