Arian Foster Admits to Considering Retirement Following Last Season's Back Injury

Arian Foster's back injury last season really had him thinking about hanging up his cleats for good.

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Complex Original

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Earlier today, ESPN posted Hannah Storm's interview with Arian Foster where the 27-year-old running back said something more than "working hard every single day" and "trying to be the best teammate I can be." Instead, Foster spoke at length on the microscopic lumbar discectomy surgery which forced him to miss the remainder of the 2013-14 season. Even though Arian has stressed in the past that the procedure "wasn't as major as it sounded," the injury did have him thinking about hanging up his cleats for good.


“Absolutely. Any time an athlete goes through an injury like that — a back, a neck, even knees or hips, something that puts you out for the entire season — you kind of re-evaluate your life,” Foster said. “You see what’s really important. Is getting paralyzed more important than playing with your grand kids when you’re 50, 60 years old. People die on the football field. This is a really brutal sport. Going through an injury like that, being 27 years old, I’m young, still I’m at the prime of my career. Is it worth it to try to come back?”

Later on in their discussion, Foster talked about his encounter with the great Earl Campbell, who is bound to a wheelchair due to chronic injuries, saying: 


Looking at him in a wheelchair and seeing how some of the affects from football are affecting him today and you're just looking at what really matters here. I'm going to walk away when I want to. I'm going to be the best me I can be and you’re going to like what you see. That's the mindset I've taken, and that's the mindset I've carried this entire offseason.

According to a 2011 NFL report, the average career length for an NFL player is six years, which leaves them in their late 20s to early 30s by the time they call it quits. That's plenty of time to spend with their family. They should be able to enjoy those moments with good health. If that means leaving out of concern over their well being for the future, then so be it. Even though we would hate to see Foster leave the game early, there are more important things out there than football. 

[via Pro Football Talk]

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