It’s tough to see a talented player like DeMarcus Ware announce his retirement from the NFL. It’s even harder to see a class act walk away from the game. In his first public comments since the announcement, Ware gave The Monday Morning Quarterback his reasoning behind his surprising retirement.
For the record, Ware is over nagging back and neck injuries that sidelined him last season, and is in shape. The 34-year old still had interest from teams around the league, and originally had full intentions to come back for this season. Despite this, he had a change of heart, and felt he needed to think about his future.
“Right now as a I stand here, my body feels great. My body feels youthful. There is no question in my mind that I could have played two or three more years.” said Ware, “but I’m realistic about it. My body’s good now, but how long will that last? How long can your body hold up at 34, 35, when what you do is likely to hurt yourself?”
Ware makes a great point for all NFL players. So many players find themselves in this never-ending cycle: playing the game, getting injured, playing through those injuries until they no longer can, rehabbing and then spending the offseason addressing those issues until they’re faced with the same task the next year. At some point, you have to think about life after football, and that’s exactly what Ware is doing. For those who say he is giving up or calling it quits too early, Ware doesn’t want people to question his dedication to the game.
“I love football; always will,” he said. “Heck yeah, I want to get out there and play. But I can’t let passion overrule my sense. I am walking away with respect. I gave the fans, I gave my family, I gave my teammates everything I had every game. One hundred percent.”
