SF's Borland quits over safety issues
By Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru
ESPN.com

BERKELEY, Calif. -- San Francisco 49ers linebacker Chris Borland, one of the NFL's top rookies this past season, told "Outside the Lines" on Monday that he is retiring because of concerns about the long-term effects of repetitive head trauma.

Borland, 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, as well as 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."

Borland becomes the most prominent NFL player to leave the game in his prime because of concerns about brain injuries. More than 70 former players have been diagnosed with progressive neurological disease after their deaths, and numerous studies have shown connections between the repetitive head trauma associated with football, brain damage and issues such as depression and memory loss.

"I feel largely the same, as sharp as I've ever been. For me, it's wanting to be proactive," Borland said. "I'm concerned that if you wait 'til you have symptoms, it's too late. ... There are a lot of unknowns. I can't claim that X will happen. I just want to live a long, healthy life, and I don't want to have any neurological diseases or die younger than I would otherwise."

In a statement, the 49ers confirmed Borland's retirement and wished him the best.

"While unexpected, we certainly respect Chris' decision," general manager Trent Baalke said. "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."

Borland was expected to be a key part of the 49ers' defense this season, after the retirement of All-Pro linebacker Patrick Willis last week. Borland replaced Willis, 30, after six games last season; Willis had sustained a toe injury.

Willis' retirement had no role in his decision, Borland said.

Borland, who was scheduled to make $540,000 this season, said there was no chance he would change his mind. The third-round draft pick, who starred at the University of Wisconsin, said he has had two diagnosed concussions: one while playing soccer in the eighth grade, the other while playing football as a sophomore in high school.

Borland, who is listed at 5-foot-11, 248 pounds, earned accolades for his aggressiveness and instincts at inside linebacker. He had 107 tackles and a sack in 14 games, eight of them starts. He was the NFC's defensive player of the week for his performance against the New York Giants in Week 11. He led the 49ers with 13 tackles in that game and became the team's first rookie linebacker with two interceptions in one game. He received one vote for NFL defensive rookie of the year.

His success this past season did not make his decision more difficult, Borland said: "I've thought about what I could accomplish in football, but for me, personally, when you read about Mike Webster and Dave Duerson and Ray Easterling, you read all these stories, and to be the type of player I want to be in football, I think I'd have to take on some risks that, as a person, I don't want to take on."

Borland was referring to former NFL greats who were diagnosed with the devastating brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, after their deaths. Duerson and Easterling committed suicide.

Borland said he began to have misgivings during training camp. He said he sustained what he believed to be a concussion stuffing a running play but played through it, in part because he was trying to make the team.

"I just thought to myself, 'What am I doing? Is this how I'm going to live my adult life, banging my head, especially with what I've learned and know about the dangers?'"

Tackling Numbers

49ers LB Chris Borland filled in prolifically for an injured Patrick Willis starting in Week 7 last season before being placed on IR in Week 15, ranking first in the NFL in tackles during that span.

Tackles
Chris Borland<< 98
Curtis Lofton 90
Vincent Rey 86
Chad Greenway 78
>>Starter from Week 7-15
-- ESPN Stats & Information

He said the issue "gathered steam" as the season progressed. Before the fourth game of the preseason, at Houston, he wrote a letter to his parents informing them that he thought his career in the NFL would be brief because of his concerns about the potential long-term effects of head injuries.

After the season, Borland said, he consulted with prominent concussion researchers and former players to affirm his decision. He also scheduled baseline tests to monitor his neurological well-being going forward "and contribute to the greater research." After thinking through the potential repercussions, Borland said the decision was ultimately "simple."

He said part of the reason he waited until now to retire was he wanted to inform his family and friends, including a few 49ers teammates. He also said he wanted time to contact the researchers and study the issue further.

Borland, who earned a bachelor's degree in history at the University of Wisconsin, said he plans to return to school and possibly pursue a career in sports management. He had a four-year contract with the 49ers worth just under $3 million, which included a signing bonus of $617,436.

The decision to retire had nothing to do with the 49ers, Borland said. He said his feelings toward the team and his teammates marked one of the hardest aspects of the decision.

"It's an incredible organization, and they truly looked out for players' best interests," he said.

Borland is the fourth NFL player age 30 or younger to announce his retirement in the past week. Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Jason Worilds, 27, said he retired "after much thought and consideration" to pursue "other interests." Tennessee Titans quarterback Jake Locker, 26, said he left the game because he no longer had "the burning desire necessary to play the game for a living." Willis said he retired because of constant pain in his feet, among other reasons. He was placed on the season-ending injured reserve Nov. 11 after getting hurt Oct. 13.

Players from around the league, including Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall, Rams defensive end Chris Long and Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner took to Twitter to voice their reaction to Borland's decision.

The NFL released a statement Tuesday, saying it respected Borland's decision while underscoring the improved safety measures taken in the sport as a whole.

"Playing any sport is a personal decision. By any measure, football has never been safer and we continue to make progress with rule changes, safer tackling techniques at all levels of football, and better equipment, protocols and medical care for players," Jeff Miller, the NFL's senior vice president of health and safety policy, said in the statement. "Concussions in NFL games were down 25 percent last year, continuing a three-year downward trend. We continue to make significant investments in independent research to advance the science and understanding of these issues. We are seeing a growing culture of safety."

Borland had a decorated career at Wisconsin, where he was named the Big Ten's defensive player of the year and linebacker of the year as a senior. He was a first-team All-American selection and recipient of multiple All-Big Ten honors.

I 'like' how the first line says that he "quit", rather than the neutral "retire".

I do not believe at all that it wasn't a purposeful choice for whatever reason.

Why so negative?

Because ESPN is the worst? They tweeted last night that Borland had "just two concussions."

Actually, Borland contacted Bernstein for advice and it was recommended to him that he should retire.

I would imagine that this topic will take up quite a bit of the show.

Terry knew that Chris Borland was going to retire, he just couldn't say anything until an official announcement was made.

Actually, Borland contacted Bernstein for advice and it was recommended to him that he should retire.

The only safe position in hockey to play is goalie.

Actually, Borland contacted Bernstein for advice and it was recommended to him that he should retire.

Why was Terry shocked to learn that they could smoke in the Dean Dome 30 years ago or so?

I remember about 10-15 years ago you could smoke in the United Center. It was a designated area. I passed it going to the bathroom. Smoke was so thick.

Plus, Terry was a smoker, so I'm sure he used to smoke at Bulls games.

So for him to be shocked is just a lie on his part.

Penn State fraternity suspended over alleged nude Facebook pictures

(CNN)A Pennsylvania State University fraternity has been suspended after allegedly posting on a private Facebook page compromising photos of women, including some who appeared to be asleep or passed out.

The suspension of Kappa Delta Rho (KDR) fraternity comes as State College Police as well as university officials investigate the fraternity's alleged use of the online page with up to 144 active members, including current and former students.

"No arrests are being made at this time," State College Police Lt. Keith Robb said. "Unfortunately, we aren't able to identify any suspects right now because the accounts on Facebook were sanitized, wiped clean."

Robb said it has not yet been determined if any crime occurred.

In a statement, college administrators said the fraternity's local chapter had been suspended for one year by the Penn State Interfraternity Council and that police and university officials were investigating.

The statement said the fraternity used the private Facebook page to post "highly inappropriate photographs ... of activities and events that are in direct violation of the standards and values of a recognized student organization at Penn State." The images allegedly included nude and partly nude women -- some seemed to pose, others appeared incapacitated.

"The evidence offered by the Facebook postings is appalling, offensive and inconsistent with the University community's values and expectations," the statement said.

In a statement, David Clohessy, director of the St. Louis-based Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, said the latest allegations call into question the university's handling of sex crime reports.

"For years now, Penn State enthusiasts have repeatedly reassured everyone who'd listen that the university's problematic culture about sex crimes had been 'reformed," Clohessy said. "The latest allegations -- that a fraternity members posted nude pictures of women on Facebook, some of whom appeared to be sleeping or passed out -- raise serious doubts about those claims."

In 2012, former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was convicted on 45 counts of sexually molesting boys and sentenced to a 30- to 60-year prison term. Sandusky, who has maintained his innocence, is appealing.

"The Kappa Delta Rho is a wake up call," Clohessy said. "But the Sandusky case should have been a wake up call too."

A former member of Kappa Delta Rho alerted police to the page, telling them in January that it had been used by members to share photos of "unsuspecting victims, drug sales and hazing," according to a copy of a police affidavit.

The drugs allegedly included "marijuana and edibles, concentrates, ADD medication, and some cocaine," the affidavit said.

The former frat member who tipped off police told authorities that a second Facebook page called "2.0" allegedly had been created around April 2014 following complaints from a woman whose photo was posted on it, the affidavit said. The earlier version of the page was titled "Covert Business Transactions."

The ex-frat member told police that the victim was visiting the fraternity when she saw a t0pless photo of herself after a member accidentally left his Facebook page logged in, the affidavit said.

The affidavit included photos of women and screen shots of cellphone text exchanges, including one from a woman who allegedly had no recollection of a sexual encounter and whether birth control was used.

In the Sandusky case, the sensational trial featured the testimony of eight young men who said they were sexually abused by Sandusky -- either groped in a car, soaped by him in the shower or sexually assaulted on a basement waterbed.

The scandal gripped the nation and ended a torturous chapter for the victims and Penn State's vaunted football program, including the dismissal of the late legendary coach Joe Paterno and one of America's highest-paid university presidents, Graham Spanier. It also tarnished Penn State's celebrated reputation in collegiate athletics.

"We hope that Penn State officials will stop patting themselves on the back and start instituting real reforms to make the campus safer for students, said Clohessy, whose group includes members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations.

Attempts to reach the university and interfraternity council were unsuccessful.

CNN's Laura Ly and Sara Ganim contributed to this report.

The malarchuk picture makes me woozy. I can't even think about it with out getting sick.

I was commenting on the structure of the sentence.

I do not believe it was not...

Goalie with CTE issues in Chicago area......time to shut it all down....

http://thethirdmanin.com/2014/01/09/chicago-startups-brain-mapping-technology-a-potential-sports-concussion-diagnosis-and-treatment-game-changer/#more-3706