Dolphins TE Jordan Cameron Is The Latest NFL Player To Retire Because Of Concussion Concerns


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Several NFL players have ended their careers early due to concerns over concussions. The latest to do this is Miami Dolphins tight end Jordan Cameron, who told ESPN that he can’t risk his mental health after suffering a multiple concussions during his NFL career.

“If I didn’t get concussions, I’d probably keep playing,” Cameron told ESPN. “It’s one of those things. I can’t risk my mental health in the future. I don’t have any symptoms now. I’m perfectly fine. But they can’t tell me with 100 percent certainty that if I keep playing and I get more concussions, that I’m going to be OK.”

Maybe Cameron’s most powerful quote came when he stated that he did not want to risk getting hurt anymore, saying “There’s nothing more important than your health. It’s just not worth it to me.”

Cameron, who is 28, was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. A Pro Bowler in 2013 after catching 80 balls for 917 yards and seven touchdowns, Cameron joined the Dolphins prior to the 2015 season. He played in all 16 games that year, but in 2016, Cameron played in three games before suffering a concussion that ended his season.

There were reports that Cameron was contemplating retirement in November of 2016, but he didn’t make it official until he told ESPN that his career was over. In the ESPN piece, Cameron revealed that he had been cleared by a neurologist to continue playing.

Cameron also had some powerful words about how the NFL educates players regarding brain injuries.

“It’s such an issue in the NFL, and it should be,” Cameron said. “I think the biggest issue is guys were not informed how serious these things can be if unattended. And how serious it is to drink alcohol and take narcotics on these things. You can’t live an unhealthy lifestyle if you have a history of concussions. It’s proven that alcohol and pills and the things that guys get on because of pain and whatnot, these things mess you up, and it’s detrimental to long-term health. You tag along concussions, it’s a whole mess.”

“They didn’t know,” Cameron said. “I want to say I hope they didn’t know the serious implications of these things. I feel like it was just starting, just on the brink of this coming to light and all the seriousness of these things. Now I feel like seven years later people know how serious this can be. Unfortunately it takes people dying to figure that out. That’s the saddest thing in the world to me.”

In addition to what he said about the long-term health of his brain, Cameron cited his desire to “be there” for his 8-year-old son as a reason to retire. Cameron told ESPN he’d like to have more children, and that “I don’t want them dealing with things that we’ve seen some other guys are dealing with.”

(Via ESPN, Deadspin)

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