Chris Borland Quotes

Chris Borland

Profession : Athlete

Birth : December 26, 1990

I never thought my choice to leave the NFL would lead to 'Face the Nation.' When I first thought of quitting, I cringed at the notion of becoming a football safety advocate. I was making a personal decision; I never set out to influence others.

Chris Borland

My breadth of football experience, my injury history, and my all-or-nothing goal to become one of the best linebackers in the NFL, combined with all I'd been learning about the game's neurological effects on the brain, convinced me I'd be wise in choosing another career.

Chris Borland

Football's extremely important to me. iIt's my passion.

Chris Borland

If you gave me an hour in the day between '09 and '14, I could have told you exactly where I was and what I was doing.

Chris Borland

I don't dislike football. I love football.

Chris Borland

Some of my best tackles were the most dangerous!

Chris Borland

I don't really trust the NFL.

Chris Borland

The reality is that it's just the nature of the game. It's the nature of playing offensive line, defensive line, and linebackers, where your responsibilities as a player involve those little hits that are going to accumulate. You can't take that out of the game.

Chris Borland

I loved playing in the Big Ten, where it's three yards and a cloud of dust.

Chris Borland

I'm involved in so many cool and interesting and redeeming things. I'm enjoying every day.

Chris Borland

The idea that just the basis of the game, repetitive hits, could bring on a cascade of issues later in life, that was - it changed the game for me.

Chris Borland

I couldn't really justify playing for money, and I think what I wanted to achieve put me at too great a risk, so I just decided on another profession.

Chris Borland

Football is inherently dangerous, and that will never change.

Chris Borland

I never played the game for money and attention. I love football, and I've had a blast.

Chris Borland

One healthy thing I'd like for players to know, whether they're active or former, is you likely can't replicate the thrill of playing before 100,000 people and big hits and making that much money. We can get ourselves into trouble trying to.

Chris Borland

It would be ill-advised to compare war and a sport, but I don't think the brain knows the difference. With post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries in blasts with veterans, we see a very similar and somewhat unique issue with repetitive brain injuries in football.

Chris Borland

A piece of my heart will always be in football, but my mind ended it.

Chris Borland

About 10 percent of the time, I miss 3 to 5 percent of the game. I look back, and I'm happy that I played. I'm not wistful. You miss big games. I miss the locker room camaraderie. Sometimes I miss the lifestyle.

Chris Borland

I just don't want to get in a situation where I'm negotiating my health for money.

Chris Borland

I wanted to fulfill my dream of playing in the NFL.

Chris Borland