![]() ![]() On Friday, March 13, when Borland retired via email, he attached a suggested press release, then reaffirmed his intentions in conversations with 49ers officials. What did the NFL still want with him? Nobody could have held out much hope that he'd change his mind. ![]() That, he believed, "would ruin my life." As he thought about how to respond, Borland began to wonder how random this drug test really was. "I figured if I said no, people would think I was on drugs," he said recently. And now here was an email demanding that he pee in a cup before a league proctor within 24 hours or fail the test. ![]() He said he feared getting brain damage if he continued to play.īorland had been amazed at the reaction to his decision, the implications of which many saw as a direct threat to the NFL. The timing of this request was, in a word, bizarre, since Borland, a San Francisco 49ers linebacker, had retired a month earlier after a remarkable rookie season. ONE DAY IN April, the NFL asked Chris Borland to take a random drug test. This story appears in ESPN The Magazine's August 31 NFL Preview Issue. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |