Former Steelers WR Antwan Randle El Regrets Playing In NFL

[86WARD]

Despite a nine-year NFL career that included 4,467 receiving yards, 15 touchdowns and a Super Bowl victory, former Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Redskins wide receiver Antwaan Randle El wouldn't play football if he could go back in time.


http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/washington-redskins-pittsburgh-steelers-antwaan-randle-el-regrets-playing-football-011916

[zulater]

While I sympathize I would imagine most former pro football players would do it all over just the same. I look at it this way. There are former members of the military, former cops and firefighters who are equally or more disabled that don't have the bankroll, healthcare, or pension to look forward to that ARE has to get him through these tough times. I'm in the thoroughbred horse industry. I know some jockey given the gift of 20-20 hindsight that wouldn't mind a do-over themselves. Life's tough.I'm sorry that some people have tougher and shorter lives than others. But that's just the way it is.

[zulater]

Why Everything You Hear About The 'Deadly' Game Of Football Is False

http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2013/08/18/why-everything-you-hear-about-the-deadly-game-of-football-is-false/#2715e4857a0b7aa7cf663fb8

[SteelerFanInStl]

No one forced him to play in the NFL. I'm sure that he's enjoying all of the money that he made. And, just because he was drafted in the MLB draft, that doesn't mean that he would've even made it to the majors, let alone still be playing after all of these years. He wasn't exactly a high draft pick.

[GoSlash27]

I can see where he's coming from and don't blame him at all for thinking that way.
If he had it all to do over again, he wouldn't. That's fair. When he got into it, he underestimated the long- term cost of his decision. It happens.

Unless we happen to be extremely fortunate, I think all of us can agree that there were choices that we have made in our lives that we would have reversed with hindsight.

As a total aside... I didn't play football and I share his symptoms. I'm not even "old" yet :(

[fansince'76]

Must be outta dough.

Sorry to be such a cynic, but come on now. Yeah, he'd pass up the kind of money he couldn't dream of making anywhere else if he had it all to do over again. Right.


Randle El expressed his regret with his decision to play football professionally, and wished he would have chosen a different route for his professional life.

Uh, the guy's 36 years old. Most people who are forced to work in the real world's careers are really just starting to take off at that age. If he invested his money wisely (remember that ridiculous contract the Redskins gave him?) chances are he'll never have to work another day in his life.


“If I could go back, I wouldn’t (play football),” Randle El said. “I would play baseball. I got drafted by the Cubs in the 14th round, but I didn’t play baseball because of my parents. They made me go to school. Don’t get me wrong, I love the game of football. But right now, I could still be playing baseball.”

As a 14th-round pick? How many years would he had been willing to toil away in triple-A ball making peanuts?

[teegre]

Today is Junior Seau's birthday.

He would have been 47.

[Count Steeler]

When you come to the fork in the road, take it.

There is one area of the mind I refuse to live, the cesspool of regret. Should have, could have, would have. What a waste of time.

[tube517]

He didn't seem too regretful after winning a Super Bowl and signing a fat contract with the Foreskins

He seemed very enthusiastic when he was playing. I never ever heard of his baseball "career".

[Pittsburgher]

Its 20/20 hindsight which every single one of us goes through. Why do you think movies involving 'changing the past' have been so popular?

From the first one in 1933 'Turn Back The Clock', to 'Peggy Sue Got Married', '13 Going On 30', '17 Again', and on and on and on, people wish they could take what they learned in the here and now and go back and do things right.

ARE is just experiencing what a lot of us have. The best advise you can give your kids is to listen to people and understand their 20/20 hindsight so they can learn from it. That's the closest we'll ever come to doing it right, but how many times have the younger kids blown off an older and wiser parent, grandparent, relative or friend because they assume they don't know what they're talking about?

There's a movie called 'About Time'. Its another one of those kind of movies, and why are they so popular? Because most of us 'wish' for it.

[fansince'76]

There is one area of the mind I refuse to live, the cesspool of regret. Should have, could have, would have. What a waste of time.

Same here. And I'd have PLENTY to regret. There's no instruction manual for life.

[Pittsburgher]

When you come to the fork in the road, take it.
A few recently have.


http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/150317113955-01-nfl-early-returement-031715-exlarge-169.jpg
From left, San Francisco's Patrick Willis, Pittsburgh's Jason Worilds, Tennessee's Jake Locker, Oakland's Maurice Jones-Drew, and 49er's linebacker Chris Borland surprised football fans recently with their early retirements.

[zulater]

Today is Junior Seau's birthday.

He would have been 47.


Anyone ever consider his issues might have had little to do with football?

Doctors and teachers have higher suicide rates by percentage than football players. So do ex servicemen, and postal workers. Some people just have issues. Maybe football brought it to the forefront, or maybe without football he would have done himself in earlier?

I know I sound insensitive, but I just think it's too easy to scapegoat football when I would guess quite often ex players who commit suicide just had it in their personal DNA.

[Mojouw]

Anyone ever consider his issues might have had little to do with football?

Doctors and teachers have higher suicide rates by percentage than football players. So do ex servicemen, and postal workers. Some people just have issues. Maybe football brought it to the forefront, or maybe without football he would have done himself in earlier?

I know I sound insensitive, but I just think it's too easy to scapegoat football when I would guess quite often ex players who commit suicide just had it in their personal DNA.

Well his brain was fundamentally altered and showed definitive evidence for a serious neurological condition associated with repeated and violent head trauma. But it is possible that he had other mental and emotional health issues as well.

At this point the link between CTE, football, and a variety of life threatening/altering conditions is irrefutable. Does this mean people should stop playing football? Nope. Just like everything else, individuals are free to weigh the risks versus the rewards and decide for themselves.

[zulater]

Well his brain was fundamentally altered and showed definitive evidence for a serious neurological condition associated with repeated and violent head trauma. But it is possible that he had other mental and emotional health issues as well.

At this point the link between CTE, football, and a variety of life threatening/altering conditions is irrefutable. Does this mean people should stop playing football? Nope. Just like everything else, individuals are free to weigh the risks versus the rewards and decide for themselves.

They say Frank Gifford had CTE too. I remember a couple years back when they had the Super Bowl in New York. Gifford was out and about giving interviews to whoever asked for one that week. Seemed quite lucid and in good overall trim for a man of his years.

Do they really know how to quantify what degree and how much effect CTE has any one individual? Ron Jaworwski claims to have had dozens of concussions as a player. The guy is in his mid 60's and mentally sharp as a tack. Would you be surprised if he died in some fluke accident tonight (God forbid, just making an example of him) and they scanned his brain it would reveal CTE? I would almost bet it has to.

Another example, in my professional dealing as a horseman I've had a few dealings with former Giant and Redskin great Sam Huff. He's well into his 80's. I saddled a winner for him down in Charles Town W.Va racetrack last fall. He comes across as lucid as any 80 year old I've ever dealt with. Again when he dies(hopefully no time soon) if he's autopsied would it come as any shock of he has some degree of CTE in evidence?

I don;t know, but I think there's some backfitting going on if you know what I mean. Is it really cause and effect or are they just putting together a puzzle after the fact without ever having any idea what the picture was supposed to look like to begin with?

[teegre]

Anyone ever consider his issues might have had little to do with football?

Doctors and teachers have higher suicide rates by percentage than football players. So do ex servicemen, and postal workers. Some people just have issues. Maybe football brought it to the forefront, or maybe without football he would have done himself in earlier?

I know I sound insensitive, but I just think it's too easy to scapegoat football when I would guess quite often ex players who commit suicide just had it in their personal DNA.

You may be right. I really do not know.


It's just that this Randle El story broke on the anniversary of Junior's death. I'm not one to sentimentality, but it put me in a somber mood.



Growing up, I worked at the movie theater near UCSD, which is where the Chargers held training camp. Many evenings they'd come in to watch movies, and Junior was always the nicest.

One day, I was at Tower Records (millinials will need to Google that) and Junior asked me to help him find some CDs to play in order to get the "young kids" on the team pumped up. (I directed him towards The Pharcyde, Tribe, Beasties, and such.) One of my fondest memories.

I grew up in SD, and I've worked in Oceanside for 19 years. You always saw Junior about town: out surfing with the locals, spotting/encouraging people at the local gym, coordinating events for kids, visiting schools. He truly was a pillar in our community.

And then... he died.

Again, I'm not sure why. But, I do know that the world lost a "good" person at a very young age.

[Craic]

They say Frank Gifford had CTE too. I remember a couple years back when they had the Super Bowl in New York. Gifford was out and about giving interviews to whoever asked for one that week. Seemed quite lucid and in good overall trim for a man of his years.

Do they really know how to quantify what degree and how much effect CTE has any one individual? Ron Jaworwski claims to have had dozens of concussions as a player. The guy is in his mid 60's and mentally sharp as a tack. Would you be surprised if he died in some fluke accident tonight (God forbid, just making an example of him) and they scanned his brain it would reveal CTE? I would almost bet it has to.

Another example, in my professional dealing as a horseman I've had a few dealings with former Giant and Redskin great Sam Huff. He's well into his 80's. I saddled a winner for him down in Charles Town W.Va racetrack last fall. He comes across as lucid as any 80 year old I've ever dealt with. Again when he dies(hopefully no time soon) if he's autopsied would it come as any shock of he has some degree of CTE in evidence?

I don;t know, but I think there's some backfitting going on if you know what I mean. Is it really cause and effect or are they just putting together a puzzle after the fact without ever having any idea what the picture was supposed to look like to begin with?

I obviously have no professional knowledge of the issue. But, I'd think it'd also have to do with what parts of the brain were damaged. I mean, since a concussion is basically a brain bruise, it stands to reason that different parts of the brain might be bruised depending on the hits the person took. One thing is for sure, and that's TBI causes a lot of bad things. The question is, how similar are they, and, if they aren't similar, how many people with CTE are actually dealing with comorbidity (CTE and TBI).