Borland retirement a reminder of need for frank concussion discussion in NFL

The hits just keep on coming for the 49ers.

Monday brought the news that inside linebacker Chris Borland had retired from the NFL after just one fantastic season in the pros. The announcement leaves the Niners with a gaping hole at inside linebacker, with Borland's retirement following hot on the heels of that of five-time All-Pro Patrick Willis, but it is the reasons behind his decision that are most interesting.

Borland is hanging up the cleats because of concerns over the effects of long-term head trauma, having suffered two concussions prior to being drafted by the 49ers. The issue of head injuries is one the NFL have been reluctant to fully confront for some time and Borland, having done his research, has decided it is not worth the risk.

And, if he truly feels that way, then we can do little more than sit back and commend his move to ensure he enjoys the long and happy life that has sadly been taken away from many former NFL players due to the long-term effects of the severe head injuries suffered in their careers.

Away from all the pathetic, mocking commenters on social media who have chosen to deride Borland for stepping aside and opting to preserve his body after earning a decent amount of money, the greater debate is whether his move will be the harbinger of doom for the NFL.

It is too early to suggest that Borland's actions will lead us down a path where the NFL's talent pool rapidly dwindles by way of prospective players deciding not to pursue a career in pro football and ends in the league as we know it ceasing to exist. However, Borland's retirement can at least be the tipping point for the evolution of the game in terms of how it deals with concussions and other serious head injuries.

Indeed, it is telling that the NFL felt the need to issue a statement in response to Borland's retirement. A 24-year-old calling it quits after year made the league sit up and take notice and, while the NFL's insistence that pro football has "never been safer" is probably true in comparison to how concussions were dealt with in the 80s and 90s, it is clear there is still plenty of progress to be made.

A basic knowledge of the links between head trauma suffered by NFL players and brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is not necessary to understand that scenes of an evidently groggy Julian Edelman stumbling to the line of scrimmage in the Super Bowl and rumours of Russell Wilson playing through a concussion in the NFC Championship game are extremely worrying.

The NFL has a concussion protocol in place but it is debatable whether it is being followed fully, particularly in the crunch post-season games. It is time for the league to have a conversation about how a balance can be found between entertaining the fans and properly ensuring player safety, hopefully Borland's retirement can help open the dialogue.