Eugene Monroe retires at 29, says he is ‘terrified’ of brain injuries

Former Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Eugene Monroe announced on Thursday that he is retiring from the NFL after just seven seasons.

In a piece he wrote for The Players’ Tribune, the 29-year-old Monroe spoke about how football has consumed his life but he now must put his family first. More specifically, he said he is “terrified” of the damage he might have already caused to his brain.

“The last 18 years have been full of traumatic injuries to both my head and my body,” Monroe wrote. “I’m not complaining, just stating a fact. Has the damage to my brain already been done? Do I have CTE? I hope I don’t, but over 90 percent of the brains of former NFL players that have been examined showed signs of the disease. I am terrified.”

Monroe has been one of the biggest advocates for allowing NFL players to use marijuana for pain management, and he wondered out loud earlier this offseason if that contributed to the Ravens’ decision to release him in June.

Now that he has decided to give up football, Monroe says his first order of business will be to evaluate his health.

“That’s why one of the first things I’m planning to do is to go to the doctor,” he wrote. “I need to take stock of my current health, and I don’t want to miss a thing. I’m going to get brain and body imaging scans, mental health assessments – anything that might help me get a handle on the state of my body and my mind. My health is critical to the future of my family.”

Believe it or not, 29 is not that young for retirement from football compared to some of the players we have seen step away from the game in recent years. The more science uncovers about CTE and other head injuries, the more concern players have for their physical and mental health.