Once upon a time, playing in the NFL was a dream for Broncos offensive lineman John Moffitt. But when he actually broke into the league back in 2011 as a third-round draft pick of the Seahawks, he quickly realized that—surprise!—he didn't love football as much as he thought he did. So while he played for the Seahawks for two seasons and then played for the Broncos this season after getting traded to Denver back in August, he just decided to let the rest of the world know just how much he dislikes playing football by abruptly announcing his retirement. And in doing so, he's leaving more than $1 million on the table since he's still owed about half of his $625,000 base salary this year and more than $750,000 next year. He doesn't sound all that broken up about losing the money, though.
"I just really thought about it and decided I'm not happy," he said this week. "I'm not happy at all. And I think it's really madness to risk your body, risk your well-being, and risk your happiness for money. Everybody, they just don't get it and they think it's crazy. But I think what I was doing was crazy."
Moffitt also emphasized just how little he loves football right now by revealing that he doesn't care about taking part in a Super Bowl, which is something he likely would have had a chance to do with the Broncos.
"I just want to be happy," he said. "And I find that people that have the least in life are sometimes the happiest. And I don't have the least in life. I have enough in life. And I won't sacrifice my health for that…I respect the game and everybody who plays it knows what they risk and I knew what I risked when I played, and I'm no longer willing to risk it."
Moffitt makes some valid points. We sometimes forget about the sacrifices that NFL players make simply by playing the game of football every year. There is a lot of pain and suffering that comes along with it that players have to deal with both during their careers and after they're over. So we don't necessarily blame Moffitt for getting out while he can still walk. At the same time, he's likely been working his entire life for a chance to play in the NFL. So it is kind of crazy to see him leave the NFL now, especially when he's on a team that has its sights set on the Super Bowl.
RELATED: The 10 Most Shocking Retirements in Sports History
[via Shutdown Corner]
