A 23-Year-Old NFL Player Retires Over Concussion Concerns

Peter Andrew Hart
Updated

Buffalo Bills linebacker A.J. Tarpley is retiring from the NFL after just one season, saying he cannot risk more concussions.

"After months of introspection, I am retiring from football," Tarpley, 23, wrote onInstagramon Wednesday. "I suffered the 3rd and 4th concussions of my career this past season and I am walking away from the game I love to preserve my future health."

Tarpley's exit from pro football comes amid increased concern over damage to players' brains.

The only thing comforting about not knowing this play would be the last of my career, is knowing that I never took a second for granted. After months of introspection, I am retiring from football. I suffered the 3rd and 4th concussions of my career this past season and I am walking away from the game I love to preserve my future health. This decision is the hardest I've made yet but after much research and contemplation I believe it's what is best for me going forward. I'd like to extend my gratitude to everyone that helped me along the way. Thank you to my coaches at Wayzata and Stanford, and to lifelong friends that I was blessed to call teammates. You all molded me into the man I am today. To my family, I'll never be able to repay your unwavering support and love, I just hope that I can continue to show how gracious I am and make you proud. I also want to thank the Buffalo Bills organization, coaches, and teammates for helping me fulfill my lifelong dream in the NFL. Last but not least, I'm proud to be a part of #BillsMafia and playing in front of the best fans in the league is something I won't forget. Thank you God for all that you have blessed me 🙏. I'm excited for my future.

A photo posted by A.J. Tarpley (@ajtarpley) on Apr 6, 2016 at 5:21pm PDT

“This decision is the hardest I’ve made yet but after much research and contemplation I believe it’s what is best for me going forward,” Tarpley wrote.

The Billsconfirmedhis retirement.

Tarpley’s Instagram post features a photo of his greatest and last play in the NFL. He made a key interception in the Bills’ final game of the season, helping Buffalo beat the New York Jets 22-17, and denying their rivals a shot at the playoffs. In his season with the Bills, Tarpleyplayed in 14 games, recording five tackles, two interceptions, one sack and a forced fumble.

Tarpley’s announcement comes just days after former San Francisco 49er Chris Borland, the 25-year-old who quit after one season for similar concerns, said early retirement would become the new normal in the NFL, asCBS Sportsnotes.

“Well, I think an old adage is that you play till the wheels fall off,” Borland told theDetroit Free Press.“You play till you can’t anymore. You have to be carried off the field. I think that’ll change.”

Indeed, increasing numbers of players have been quitting the league with health fears. Last month, Kansas City Chiefs safetyHusain Abdullah said he would be leaving the NFL after seven seasons, citing concussions.

Also in March, an NFL official became the league’s first high-ranking officer toacknowledge a link between football-related head traumaand degenerative brain diseases like chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

Other NFL leaders have been hesitant to endorse that view. The NFL fought back fiercely whenThe New York Times published an articlein March that claimed the league’s concussion research was flawed and resembled the tobacco industry’s denial of the dangers of cigarettes. The league demanded a retraction, which theTimes refused.