USA TodayBorland, 24, said he notified the 49ers on Friday. He said he made his decision after consulting with family members, concussion researchers, friends and current and former teammates, and studying what is known about the relationship between football and neurodegenerative disease.
"I just honestly want to do what's best for my health," Borland told Outside the Lines. "From what I've researched and what I've experienced, I don't think it's worth the risk."
Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area reported that Borland was dealing with chronic problems in both shoulders and that the linebacker was so beat up following last season that one person close to him thought he would seriously consider retirement due to the issues.
Per the ESPN report, the 24-year-old added there is no chance he will change his mind about this decision. On March 22, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com noted Borland "told CBS’ Face The Nation that he’s returning 3/4 of his $617,436 signing bonus to the team."
Jason Cole of Bleacher Report weighed in on how Borland's decision will impact the decision-making process for teams around the league:
While unexpected, we certainly respect Chris’ decision. From speaking with Chris, it was evident that he had put a great deal of thought into this decision. He was a consummate professional from day one and a very well respected member of our team and community. Chris is a determined young man that overcame long odds in his journey to the NFL and we are confident he will use the same approach to become very successful in his future endeavors. We will always consider him a 49er and wish him all the best.
On Tuesday, NFL senior vice president of health and safety Jeff Miller also released a statement on Borland's decision, according to Fox Sports' Mike Garafolo:
Mike Garafolo @MikeGarafoloNFL statement from Jeff Miller on Chris Borland http://t.co/pkgDWKIpCT
Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez also released a statement on Borland, per Brian Hamilton of Sports Illustrated:
Brian Hamilton @_Brian_HamiltonHere's a statement from #Wisconsin AD Barry Alvarez on Chris Borland's retirement from NFL: http://t.co/VdtB9Znxqj
St. Louis Rams defensive end Chris Long praised Borland for his choice:
CBS Sports' Will Brinson noted one of the more surprising facts about Borland's case—he doesn't have a long, documented history with concussions:
Will Brinson @WillBrinsonChris Borland said he only had 2 diagnosed concussions: 1 playing soccer in 8th grade, 1 playing football as a soph in HS.
Bleacher Report's Matt Miller was one of many stunned by the sudden nature of Borland's retirement:
Matt Miller @nfldraftscoutBorland was one of my favorite players last year. Was a building block for the 49ers. Now he's done.
Sports Illustrated's Greg A. Bedard, NFL.com's Michael Silver and the San Jose Mercury News' Tim Kawakami all commented on how the paradigm is shifting in regard to how players are approaching their careers:
Greg A. Bedard @GregABedardChris Borland retiring, at age 24 and relatively healthy in a football sense, is a very big deal.
Michael Silver @MikeSilverI understand the compulsion of 49ers fans to see this through team-centric eyes, but Borland's decision is bigger than that, obviously.
Tim Kawakami @timkawakamiI used to think that 99% of players wouldn't be able to pull themselves away from this--the game, the fame, the lifestyle. But...
Tim Kawakami @timkawakamiBut the perspective is changing. Chris Borland just put himself at the forefront of that, and he obviously did it with a lot of thought.
Bleacher Report's Chris Simms discussed potential replacements for Borland in the 49ers' lineup:
The MMQB's Andrew Brandt explained how he thinks this news might impact the mindset of players going forward:
Andrew Brandt @AndrewBrandtBorland news may not lead to more players retiring early but may lead to less players inclined to hide and play through head trauma.
Doug Farrar of Sports Illustrated wondered if Junior Seau's suicide played a role in Borland's decision, along with the thinking of other younger players who hung up their cleats this spring:
Doug Farrar @BR_DougFarrarLooking at the number of early retirees in the NFL this month, You'd better believe the Junior Seau story has a lot of people thinking.
By retiring now, Borland is leaving potentially millions in future earnings on the table. ESPN's Darren Rovell noted how much he had made to this point in his career:
Darren Rovell @darrenrovell$1,037,436: Amount that Chris Borland made in his NFL career.
Borland played one year in the NFL after the 49ers picked him in the third round of the 2014 draft. Despite making only eight starts, he led the team in total tackles (107). With the retirement of fellow San Francisco linebacker Patrick Willis earlier this month, Borland was likely going to be a pivotal member of the Niners defense in 2015.
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