NFL player retires at halftime. - Buffalo Bills

[underpants]

Bills' Vontae Davis shocks team, quits NFL at halftime vs. Chargers

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Buffalo Bills cornerback Vontae Davis abruptly retired at halftime of Sunday's 31-20 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, saying in a statement that the reality had hit him: "I shouldn't be out there anymore."

Davis, a 10th-year veteran, said he meant no disrespect to his teammates and coaches, but that physically, he could no longer play at the standard he set for himself.

"[He] pulled himself out of the game," Bills coach Sean McDermott said. "He communicated to us that he was done."

Linebacker Lorenzo Alexander alerted reporters to Davis' abrupt retirement after the game.

"I never have seen that," Alexander said. "Pop Warner, high school, pros. Never heard of it. Never seen it. It's just completely disrespectful to his teammates. ... He didn't say nothing to nobody. I found out going into the second half of the game. They said he's not coming out, he retired. That's it.


http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/24703207/buffalo-bills-cb-vontae-davis-abruptly-retires-football-half-vs-los-angeles-chargers

[tazkcmo]

1. Lorenzo

You'll get over it. His health is way more important than any team spirit or respect. People quit their jobs every day for much less. Is butt hurt covered by your health insurance?

[PJMcK]

2. Good smack-down

Mr. Alexander sounds a bit delicate.

[Snake Plissken]

3. The problem is, he's a professional who a lot of people rely on him for their livelihood.

He's a very well paid professional, he should have quit before the season started instead of pulling a ridiculous move like this.

Where does it end?

Should the fire department tell someone whose family was killed in a fire to get over their butthurt about members of the fire department suddenly decided their job is too dangerous on the way to a fire?

Should the hospital tell the family of someone who died on the operating room table to get over their butthurt about the cardiac surgeon quitting in the middle of a surgery?

[3Hotdogs]

4. If his statement is honest, he didn't retire because he was hurt.

He said he was not able to perform at the standard that he set for himself and his teammates needed in order to succeed.

It would be interesting to look at videos and evaluate his performance.

[greymattermom]

5. Maybe he meant mentally.

Sometimes it isn't a physical issue. Remember ALL of them have brain injury.

[3Hotdogs]

6. Whether mental or physical, his reference was to his inadaquate performance.

Not to health or pain.

[Snake Plissken]

8. You don't abandon your team and walk out at halftime because of that.

There are 1,000s of players who would do anything to land a spot on a roster a just to sit on the bench as a 3rd string player, or even the practice squad, he's walking away from a spot on the roster that allowed him to be on the field playing.

This was just a damage control afterthought after he realized he embarrassed himself by acting like a spoiled brat.

There are plenty of spoiled highly recruited athletes in college who transfer or quit altogether because things are not going their way, but none of them have done it at halftime

[stopbush]

9. Bollocks. He came to his senses and made an honest decision.

He’s created an opportunity for those thousands of players you cite who would do anything to land a spot on a team.

BTW - dozens of players are injured every week, leaving their team in the lurch for weeks, months and seasons at a time. If there’s one thing every NFL team is prepared for and adept at it’s filling the slot vacated by a player who has suddenly become unable to play their position.

[Snake Plissken]

10. You've obviously never played a team sport

That is the lame response I've heard yet, if he felt he was worried about his health all he had to do was, inform one of the trainers on the sideline to take his helmet because he's not fit to go back in and he could have walk off the field at the end of the game with everyone else.

[stopbush]

11. I've played team sports, including football.

You just don’t get it. The rest of us do get it.

[Snake Plissken]

12. I highly doubt it

You're trying to make this out to be some political statement, when in reality his team sucks and he quit right in the middle of a game, and now he suddenly realizes that he just shut to down to any sports related opportunities in the future so now he's spinning his feeble attempt at damage control. He could have just told the staff he's not going back in to the game and quit afterwards, if this was anything other than him being tired of playing on a team that sucks, and decided he's retiring and doesn't care about anything or anyone else.

[stopbush]

14. You can doubt all you want. I'm under no obligation to meet whatever

standard of proof you might imagine. I don’t care a whit what you think.

[Snake Plissken]

16. lol, so what exactly was the point of you responding to my post in the first place?

[3Hotdogs]

15. Who don't get what?

[JonLP24]

13. I agree

He waited til after the preseason and the final cuts. I wonder if the score or the prospects of a long season set in had something to do with it taking the easy way out. He should have communicated his head wasn't it and if it is because of his ability well there are still players "that shouldn't be out there" but they still have to go out there take the field and play hard. He should have finished the half then retire.

[True Dough]

7. Coincidentally, the same guy did the same thing

in this thread here in the Sports group:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/120475042