A little more than three years ago, Chris Borland retired from the NFL after a stellar rookie season in which he became a starting linebacker for the 49ers. People remain riveted by his story.
His decision made all the sense in the world. Borland and concussion awareness came of age at about the same time. CTE became a thing, and then a thing the NFL officially recognized. An NFL player in this day and age has to understand he is making a deal with the devil by playing the game. Borland, 24 years old and by consensus a star in the making, refused to sign on the dotted line.
It was baffling, if only because it ran counter to what we've come to expect from world class athletes _ to power through pain, shrug off adversity, to reach ever higher. Could Borland be for real? Would he change his mind? Recall the 49ers were unraveling after the 2014 season. Coach Jim Harbaugh left. There were other high-profile retirements _ Patrick Willis, Justin Smith, Anthony Davis. Was Borland caught up in the moment?
People keep asking him about it, and he's a willing subject. In the past year, Borland has talked to the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, USA Today and state legislators in New York and Illinois. He has filmed a CTE public service announcement. Recently he sat down with retired Pro Bowl running back Arian Foster for an extended interview.
Tuesday he spoke to KNBR. "There are days when I get down in my stance and contemplate a comeback ... for two seconds," he joked. "No, actually I'm pleased with my decision. I loved football. I'm so glad I played. But I didn't think it was wise for me to play longer."
Borland said he was concussed prior to his rookie season in 2014. Interestingly, the fact he was progressing rapidly as an NFL player heightened his concern.
"I had gotten a couple games under my belt and was getting better," he told KNBR. "I realized I could be a top echelon linebacker for a long time if I stayed healthy. That made it more difficult to walk away. If I was a marginal guy or a practice squad player or a career-long special teamer, you take a hell of a lot less hits in those roles. The notion of wanting to be great and the ability to play in the middle pressured me to think more deeply about it.
"I started thinking about the health risks and started looking into it." He retired March 11, 2015.
Borland isn't preachy. He said he recently visited with "a buddy who's an active player. We chatted about it at length. Essentially we agreed to disagree. I wished him well and he did the same.
"I just think, do what you want with the information available. I don't judge anybody one way or another."
Borland is turning his passion into a springboard for a career. Last year, he told KNBR, he participated in a study in meditation with former NFL players at the Center of Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He recently started a company similar to CHM serving active athletes.
"It's something I'm passionate about personally," he said, "and it's a really great time to be involved in it. I found a really interesting niche."
