Kansas City Chiefs: Husain Abdullah Announces Retirement
By Scott Dillon
The Kansas City Chiefs are losing another safety today. Husain Abdullah announced his retirement due to health concerns specifically related to concussions.
The Kansas City Chiefs are going to need some safety help and re-signing free agent safety Husain Abdullah is no longer going to be an option. He announced his retirement via Instagram earlier this morning.
He’s just the latest player retiring ‘early’ due to health concerns. I use ‘early’ in single quotes because he is 30 years old, but that’s not exactly ancient in the NFL especially at the safety position.
In his announcement he writes:
"The three years I spent playing for KC may have been the most enjoyable football experience in my entire life. Thank you.There are numerous deciding factors in my decision, with personal health being foremost. Sitting for five weeks last year after suffering the fifth concussion of my career, I had a lot to contemplate. My goals moving forward are to be of benefit to my family, my community, my country and hopefully the world. Having a sound mind will be vital in accomplishing these goals."
His time in Kansas City was certainly productive. He recorded 108 total tackles in his three seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and also recorded two touchdowns on two interceptions.
Beloved, by himself maybe, commissioner Roger Goodell has cast aside the idea that players are retiring early at a more frequent rate because of injury concerns.
"Those are individual decisions that we respect, and they’re made for different reasons. We will continue to support our players, we’ll continue to help them in those decision-making processes, but I don’t see so many people walking away from the game. I don’t agree with that."
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According
to this article by business insider
, the number of players to retire in 2015 who were less than 31 years old is up 19 compared to just five in 2011. Young players like
,
, and Adrian Coxson weren’t hesitant to express their desire for good long term health as the reasons.
This off-season so far the league has lost players like Marshawn Lynch, Jerod Mayo, and Calvin Johnson who claimed the NFL has “left him in pain”. With Abdullah now among those players, the list of young retirees continues to grow.
Eventually, something is going to have to be done to afford these players the assurances of long-term care that they desire. There’s no denying it’s a violent game and the NFL could do more to better take care of the players post-retirement.
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In the meantime, the Chiefs are going to be looking for a replacement in the defensive backfield. It doesn’t hurt all that much because technically he was already a free-agent, but it certainly makes the options even less.
So what do you think Kansas City Chiefs’ fans? Who will the Chiefs go after to fill the holes left at the safety position? Do you think that concussion concerns are going to continue to drive players from the NFL? What do you think the league should do about it? Let me know your thoughts on the issues in the comments’ section below.