31 year old offensive lineman, Jacob Bell, has announced his retirement citing Junior Seau’s death as a contributing factor.
Bell recently signed a 1 year deal with the Bengals. Bell stated Seau’s death was the “cherry on top”.
“There were a lot of factors that went into it for me,” Bell, who recently signed a one-year deal with the Bengals after four years with the St. Louis Rams, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Tuesday night. “I’ve had a lot of fun playing. I’ve seen a lot of things. I’ve played in a lot of games. The reality is that for me it came down to risk and reward. I think you’ve always got to weigh that out. At some point, you’ve got to kind of figure out what you’re in the game for.
It’s certainly unusual for a professional athlete to retire in the prime of their career (both athletically & in terms of wage earning) unless due to injury. I doubt this becomes a trend as most guys will grab every last dollar they can get, and rightfully so. But this could definitely cause a lot of guys to give serious thought about their career and their lives after football.
