Citing long-term health concerns as it relates to had injuries, San Francisco 49ers linebacker Chris Borland shocked the football world Monday by announcing his retirement after just one season in the NFL. While the abrupt retirement didn’t catch his family off-guard, it did many, many others.
One of those, though, wasn’t Barry Alvarez.
Borland played his college football at Wisconsin and was the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2013, with Alvarez serving as UW’s athletic director (and sometimes interim head coach) during that time. In a statement, Alvarez praised Borland, the human being, as well as expressing confidence that the decision was “well thought out and made after much consultation with people he trusts.”
Below is Alvarez’s statement, in its entirety.“Chris Borland is one of the most impressive young men I’ve come across in my many years involved in college athletics. His exploits on the field are well known as he is one of the best linebackers in school history and one of the best I’ve seen up close. Off the field, he earned his degree from Wisconsin and devoted countless hours to community service. He represents all that we want our Wisconsin student-athletes to be.
“Knowing Chris, his decision to retire at this time was well thought out and made after much consultation with people he trusts. He obviously feels that this is the best decision for him, personally. He will always be a part of the Badger family and we wish him the best in whatever his future may hold.”