Thankfully, Morgan Retires

Filed in archive NFL on May 21, 2008

© Jimmy theSuperStar

It's always irksome when sports commentators and fans make the declaration that an athlete needs to retire. It is more than a little selfish, because we do it for the benefit of our own nostalgia and memories, not wanting to see a formerly great athlete struggling. But in the case of former Carolina panther linebacker Dan Morgan, I had thought for some time that he needed to quit playing football.

But not because he couldn't play anymore. He most certainly could. However, the former first-round draft pick out of Miami had suffered five concussions since 2001. Every time you would watch Morgan play, there was an innate fear that the next snap could be his last. Pat Yasinkas of ESPN.com wrote a great column detailing how happy he was that Morgan finally decided to retire:

"That's why it's time to celebrate. A guy, a truly good guy, who seemed to have tunnel vision only for football, finally looked around and saw a great life outside of football. Then, mercifully, he walked away while he still could."

The thing about concussions is, nobody knows enough. Do they lead to Alzheimer's? Dementia? Other debilitating effects? Unfortunately, definitive answers are still looming in the distance somewhere.

And this is why, when the St. Louis Rams signed Trent Green, it was frightening. The last two things I remember about Green are him being carried off on a stretcher in Kansas City and him being carried off in a stretcher in Miami after blows to the head. Hopefully, the Rams offensive line comes together and Marc Bulger plays every snap of every game. Not because it means the Rams are having a winning season, but because nobody wants to see Trent Green being lifted onto an ambulance yet again.