Retires over safety issues

Borland is retiring due to concerns about the long-term effects stemming from repetitive head trauma. He says he made his decision after talking it over with family members, concussion researchers, friends and teammates, and after studying what is known about the relationship between football and neurodegenerative disease.

I just honestly want to do what’s best for my health. From what I’ve researched and what I’ve experienced, I don’t think it’s worth the risk…I feel largely the same, as sharp as I’ve ever been. For me, it’s wanting to be proactive. I’m concerned that if you wait ’til you have symptoms, it’s too late. … There are a lot of unknowns. I can’t claim that X will happen. I just want to live a long, healthy life, and I don’t want to have any neurological diseases or die younger than I would otherwise…I just thought to myself, ‘What am I doing? Is this how I’m going to live my adult life, banging my head, especially with what I’ve learned and know about the dangers?’