Ex-San Francisco 49ers linebacker Chris Borland retired after his rookie season in the NFL at age 24. He has retired due to the risk of head injuries, despite having had an outstanding season.

People have had mixed opinions, calling him a hero all the way down to a quitter, and according to Jim Souhan of the Star Tribune, “He is no more a quitter than someone who leaves a coal mine for a cubicle.”

Borland watched his storm of media and gave ESPN’s Outside the Lines an exclusive interview on why he left. It included how he didn’t want to lead the movement, and that his health is more important to him than the money and thrill of playing in the NFL.

Some of the risks of the NFL and its injuries are obvious, like knee and ankle problems, but lately, the head has been in the middle of the talk of these risky injuries.

A single head injury, depending on severity, would not harm a player too harshly, but multiple small occurrences or one major hit can leave lasting effects on a person. The damage in the brain is irreversible and can change the life of the player and those around them.

Recently, there has been a major issue with the people sustaining head injuries, such as ex-San Diego Charger and New England Patriot Junior Seau. After enduring twenty years as a linebacker, and sustaining many head injuries, he shot himself in the chest in May of 2012, which may have been an influencing story in Borland’s decision.

“To me it’s like jumping into the water and you can’t see how deep it is,” said Borland. “I don’t know if I’m going to go through and be unscathed or if I’ll cut my foot or if I’ll land face-first into a rock. I don’t know, and correlation isn’t causation, so these cases I’ve read and researched into, they may not be pertinent to me at all, or they might. To me, that risk isn’t worth it, and I’ve got enough going on in my life and other interests that I want to pursue,” he stated to OTL.

No matter whether he is perceived as intelligent or a quitter, he will be remembered for making his statement and possibly beginning the revolution for better safety standards in the NFL.