Until today—right now actually—we'd never heard of Cincinnati Bengals guard Jacob Bell. So, the fact that he's decided to retire from the game of football shouldn't really have an impact on us. But, the guy just made major news when he decided to pull the plug on his career and rationalize his decision by citing Junior Seau's recent death and calling it "the cherry on top."
"There were a lot of factors that went into it for me," said Bell. "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. One of my biggest concerns when it comes to the game in general is my personal health…It's just crazy to see someone like Junior Seau took his own life over—God knows what he was really struggling and dealing with. But you have to believe it came from the game of football. I want to get out before the game makes me get out, where I can get out on my own terms, and I can limit the amount of stress and negative impact that the game would leave on me."
Basically, Seau's death scared the shit out of Bell. So, he's leaving millions of dollars on the table and getting the hell out of football with his health intact while he still can. And, we don't expect him to be the last player to do it.
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[via Washington Post]
