When linebacker Chris Borland walked away from the NFL, he said it was because he was aware of the concussion risks and decided that wasn't for him anymore.
Receiver Austin Collie presumably knows all the risks too. But he can't land an NFL job, even though he wants to. He thinks his concussion history is the reason.
Collie signed with the Canadian Football League's B.C. Lions earlier this year as he attempts his comeback. His NFL story is a tough one: A fourth-round pick with the Colts in 2009, Collie was off to a great start with 15 touchdowns and more than 1,200 yards in his first 25 career games through two seasons. Then he suffered three scary concussions. He played one game in 2012, seven in 2013 and none in the NFL last season.
And Collie thinks that his concussion history is the reason he has had a hard time getting a chance to further his career, given the NFL's recent sensitivity to it.
"Why am I not in the NFL? I don’t know," Collie told the Vancouver Sun. "I would think, I would say, the big part is the injury history that’s right there."
Many NFL players will give you plenty of excuses why they're not in the league anymore, after they are unable to get a job. It's possible Collie just isn't the same receiver that looked on his way to big things early in his career. The New England Patriots, who can use available talent as well as any team, had him play seven games in 2013 and he caught just six passes. And the NFL has no problem employing other talented players with long concussion histories. But Collie is also correct in his comments to the Sun that he was having trouble finding a new team after the Colts moved on right as the NFL was starting to become very aware of the concussion dangers.
“The bottom line is, if those didn’t happen when they did, right at the height of the concussion discussion, I’d probably still be playing,” Collie told the Sun. “Everybody can comment on it. Everybody has their opinion. But I’m not them. Football is a childhood dream for me. It’s a way to provide for my family and play a game I love. To not be playing, because of a label, is hard. I’ve been labelled.”
Is that fair? Is Collie being left out of the NFL because of concussion concerns? Wes Welker could wonder the same as he remains unsigned after many concussions. Was Collie, and perhaps other players, passed over because of concussion dangers? it seems unfair if so, if they're aware of the risk and willing to take it. On the other hand, one could argue they're being saved from further medical problems down the line.
Either way, Collie is playing in Canada now, and he believes it's because the NFL is being more careful about concussions.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
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