By Dennis Thompson
HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, March 20, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Medical science has shown that football can take a terrible toll on the human brain, with repeated hits to the head potentially adding up to brain damage later in life.
But, it's been unclear whether players actively consider and accept the risk of brain injury as the price to be paid for their often-lucrative participation in America's most popular sport.
Until now.
The surprising retirement Monday of National Football League standout rookie linebacker Chris Borland shows that some players are indeed weighing that risk, and coming to the conclusion that it's just not worth it.
Borland's announcement caps a tumultuous decade for football, in which the science of concussion-related brain injury has placed the sport in a light that's become more and more damning.
A number of former NFL players report struggling with thinking, memory and emotional problems, and autopsies of football players have revealed brains riddled with atrophy and abnormalities. Research has linked concussions -- particularly repeated concussions -- to increased risk of dementia, depression and other forms of mental impairment, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Even hits to the head that don't result in concussion are now being weighed as a potential source of brain injury, said Jay Alberts, director of the Cleveland Clinic's Concussion Center.
Scientists are increasingly concerned that brain damage might accumulate from the thousands of "sub-concussive" hits that a player absorbs during his career, stretching back through college, high school and youth league days, Alberts said.
"It's probably those sub-concussive blows that we really need to be understanding and worrying about," he said. "That's something they're experiencing often."
It's in this atmosphere that the 24-year-old Borland announced his decision to retire after a stellar rookie season in which he led the San Francisco 49ers in tackles.
Having suffered two diagnosed concussions, he specifically cited concerns about brain trauma as his reason for walking away from a promising career and piles of cash.
"I just thought to myself, 'What am I doing? Is this how I'm going to live my adult life, banging my head, especially with what I've learned and knew about the dangers?'" Borland told ESPN.
The NFL released a statement respectfully accepting Borland's decision, but also touting its efforts to make football a safer game for players.
"By any measure, football has never been safer and we continue to make progress with rule changes, safer tackling techniques at all levels of football, and better equipment, protocols and medical care for players," Jeff Miller, the NFL's senior vice president of health and safety policy, said Tuesday in a prepared statement.
"Concussions in NFL games were down 25 percent last year, continuing a three-year downward trend," Miller said. "We continue to make significant investments in independent research to advance the science and understanding of these issues. We are seeing a growing culture of safety. Everyone involved in the game knows that there is more work to do and player safety will continue to be our top priority."
Health risks prompting self-examination by players
Despite the NFL's efforts, there's a lot of soul-searching going on now among the league's players, noted sports agent Leigh Steinberg said.
Players with other career options -- those with good college degrees or financially secure families -- might turn away from football because of the threat to their mental health, he said.
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