Su’a Cravens appears to be done with football.
The safety told Redskins teammates and executives Sunday that he was retiring at age 22. While team president Bruce Allen reportedly persuaded Cravens to spend a month on the exempt/left team list before making a final decision, reports from The Washington Post indicate that Cravens no longer loves the game.
Best wishes, Su’a. Thanks for being honest with yourself and the team.
Playing in the NFL is a privilege. If Cravens doesn’t want to do it, then it’s best for him to walk away.
Commit less than 100 percent on the field, and you’ll get badly hurt. Don’t put everything into the game, and you’re just hurting the team and stealing paychecks.
Cravens was correct to want to retire, even though many fans think he’s an idiot for giving up what is their dream and walking away from a four-year contract that pays an average of $1.1 million annually.
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But players in the NFL feel sore, at best, every day for six months. Cravens has already suffered three injuries in just one year, including a concussion. He has apparently decided it’s not worth it.
As more studies of post-career brain problems emerge and more stories of players with broken bodies appear, Cravens isn’t alone in exiting early. Former 49ers linebacker Chris Borland retired in 2015 at 24. Ravens lineman John Urschel walked away this year at 26.
Still, some longtime Redskins personnel said they can’t remember another player walking away like this.
Share this articleShareOffensive tackle Andre Johnson, the team’s first-round pick in 1996, didn’t quit, but his distant attitude ensured he never played a snap for Washington.
Like many disinterested store clerks whose vibe seems to say, “They can make me stand here, but they can’t make me care,” Johnson never seemed to like his job. The Redskins released him after one season, and he played three games for Detroit in 1998 before being out of football at 25.
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Maryland linebacker Wesley Jefferson quit football before he could get to the pros.
Jefferson had one year of eligibility left when he finished his degree in 2007. Instead of playing one more season, Jefferson stayed true to his dream of becoming a Maryland state trooper, a job he still holds.
Maybe Cravens will take a month or a year off, and the absence of the game will make him remember how much he loves it. It happens to injured players regularly.
Or maybe Cravens will never look back, and many fans will forget him.
Whether he goes through with retirement or returns to football, let’s hope Cravens finds peace along his path.
After all, it’s his life.
Read more columns from Rick Snider:
Five things we learned about the Redskins in the 2017 preseason
Without an improved defense, it won’t matter how good Redskins’ offense is
If Bashaud Breeland continues to rage, his NFL career won’t last long
Quiet optimism is in order for the Redskins’ Josh Doctson and Junior Galette
Jay Gruden loves the fade. Terrelle Pryor and Josh Doctson are here to help.
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