Calling It Quits Early

Cincinnati Bengals OL Jacob Bell has called it quits
after the death of Junior Seau.

Cincinnati Bengals newly-signed OL Jacob Bell has decided to retire, only a month after signing a one-year deal with the Bengals. Bell says the decision was easy. Preserving his health and quality of life was more important than the six to seven-figure salaries being made yearly. Bell also stated the recent death of Junior Seau certainly played a part in his decision to call it quits.

Seau's death of a suicide has raised many questions lately as to how the NFL and its players deal with the injuries that are affecting players after their careers are over. New York Giants DE Osi Umenyiora said earlier this week that he knows he'll be in a wheelchair by age 45, but it is worth it. Other players have also come out and say that even if they deal with health problems by the time they're 50, the journey and the career will be worth it. 

Seau wasn't the only one who committed suicide recently. Ray Easterling, who was a defensive back for the Atlanta Falcons in the '70s, committed suicide on April 19, claiming his life at the age of 62. Easterling was one of the retired players who filed a lawsuit against the NFL last year in Philadelphia. Other players who have committed suicide in recent years include Dave Duerson and Andre Waters, among others.

Is it truly worth it to make millions of dollars but jeopardize your long-term health? It takes money to receive quality health care. When you're retired, surgeries and other medical procedures are no longer taken care of by the team. It has to come from your pocket if you do not have quality health care. That could be millions of dollars if you need multiple surgeries to save your legs, or a hip replacement. 

When talking about head injuries, there isn't a corrective procedure to help you get your memory back after numerous blows to the head. CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, has been discovered in the brains of Waters, Duerson, and Chris Henry, the 26-year old wide receiver from the Cincinnati Bengals who died when he fell out of the bed of a pickup truck his fiancee was driving. He is the youngest known athlete to have shown signs of CTE. 

Former Bengals LB Reggie Williams played with the Bengals from 1976 to 1989, helping the Bengals get to two Super Bowls, losing both to the San Francisco 49ers. However, the longevity and physical demands of his career took a toll on his knees, with both of them being amputated. Williams had a total of 18 surgeries on both knees, which resulted in a failure for both of them to be saved. Is this kind of pain and sacrifice of limbs and other body parts worth the paycheck?

The more interesting part will be how the NFL goes forward with these retired players suffering so much. How will the NFL be in 25 years? How will the current players in their 20s be when they're in their 40s? That remains to be seen.