John Moffitt enjoyed some parts of that career. He just didn't enjoy it enough to continue.
Moffitt, a third-year offensive lineman, told the Broncos he wasn't going to return to the team after its bye week. Just like that, he was done with football.Playing in the NFL seems like a fantasy for most red-blooded American males, but it's not always an easy life. Moffitt explained his decision to suddenly retire to the Associated Press.
"I just really thought about it and decided I'm not happy. I'm not happy at all," Moffitt told The Associated Press in a phone interview from Seattle. "And I think it's really madness to risk your body, risk your well-being and risk your happiness for money.
"Everybody, they just don't get it and they think it's crazy. But I think what I was doing is crazy."
Moffitt told the AP he didn't care about playing in a Super Bowl, which the Broncos might do this season. He said that even though he doesn't have a history of concussions, the possibility worried him.
"I just want to be happy," Moffitt told the AP. "And I find that people that have the least in life are sometimes the happiest. And I don't have the least in life. I have enough in life. And I won't sacrifice my health for that.
"I'm not trying to be the poster boy for 'Oh, I thought I should leave because of concussions.' I'm just saying, it's a valid point. I love the game and I respect the game and everybody who plays it knows what they risk and I knew what I risked when I played, and I'm no longer willing to risk it."
Moffitt, a third-round pick by Seattle out of Wisconsin in 2011, said he was ready to start a new life. He said the money didn't mean everything to him and the things he did enjoy like the games and his teammates weren't enough to keep him around. He had a $625,000 base salary this year, and was scheduled to make a base salary of $752,500 next year. It's rare to see a player walk away from the NFL while he's young and can still squeeze more years out of that career, but his reasons were legitimate.
"Once you tear away all the illusions of it, it's hard work. And it's dangerous work. And you're away from your family. And it's not good for families. It's very tough on families," he said, according to the AP.
