If you haven’t noticed, there’s been a number of NFL players retiring as of late. However, it’s important to point out that these aren’t your average Tom Brady-like players. Instead, it’s 25-year-olds like Los Angels Chargers safety Nasir Adderley.
Adderley made the announcement on Thursday from his Instagram account, noting that “it’s time for me to walk away from the game of football.”
Why?
Well, according to his post, it’s his health that is a concern.
“Over the past couple of years, I have denied this realization. But, I’m finally going to put myself first for once. My health is above anything and everyone around me knows that.”
Now, to be clear, Adderley isn’t really worried about his physical health so much as his mental health. Unlike another recent retiree, Byron Jones (age 30), a Miami Dolphins cornerback, he hasn’t had a bunch of injuries that might cause the game or just life, in general, to be painful.
According to Adderley’s post, he’s retiring so that he can have more “peace of mind” about his life. He wants to spend more time with loved ones and pursue some other dreams, including business ownership and “true liberation.” And apparently, that means being “an employee” of the NFL is no longer an option.
For him, not even his former aspirations as a player are worth the lack of “peace” he’s begun to experience over the last couple of years.
And so, he’s calling it quits.
Good for him, I guess.
However, the announcement doesn’t exactly spell out good things for the NFL. As I said, it’s not like Adderley is the only 20-something player to suddenly retire as of late. In the last few years, Luke Kuechly (28), Calvin “Megatron” Johnson (30), Andrew Luck (29), and more have all retired far earlier than most in their field. And it’s like these were nobodies on the field.
Clearly, the NFL isn’t in dire straits over these departures. However, it is an interesting trend to note. And one that, if continued, might become a bit problematic.
