RadioOnFire.com - The NFL and football fans in Baltimore felt the brunt of the recent bombshell report on the link between the game and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) when Ravens star John Urschel suddenly announced his retirement at the ripe young age of 26. In declaring the end of his career on the gridiron, Urschel, who has played a pivotal role on the Ravens' top-10 ranked offensive line over the past three seasons, confirmed that his decision had to do with the Journal of the American Medical Association report's findings.
In a statement released via social media, Urschel stated his plans to return to school so that he may pursue a doctorate in mathematics at MIT. Besides having developed into an elite athlete, the 6'3" 300 pound Urschel is also known to be a world class chess player and a promising mathematician. In fact, his cognitive gifts have been recognized in the world of journalism, while writing numerous articles as a guest Advanced Stats Columnist for The Players' Tribune. However, Urschel has attested to feeling like he was putting his mind at risk playing the game he loved. During an appearance on "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" in January, he vowed to play on despite suffering a dangerous concussion in his rookie season. "It took me about three weeks before I was football-ready. It took me a little bit longer before my high-level visualizations ability came back," he said at the time.
Wednesday's AMA Journal report sent shockwaves through the sport with the revelation that 99% or 110 out of 111 of the brains of former NFL players that were studied, had tested positive for CTE. The brains that were tested came from players ranging in age from 23 to 89 years old. Urschel plans on attending classes in the Fall but taking the Spring semester off to tend to his family, as he and his wife are expecting their first child in December.
"Thank you to everyone for the kind words today. It wasn't an easy decision, but I believe it was the right one for me," Urschel stated on Twitter.
Source: nydailynews.com
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