Former Nittany Lion, Raven John Urschel retires from NFL
Teddy Feinberg
Former Penn State football player and Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman John Urschel announced his retirement from the National Football League on Thursday.
According to the Ravens' website, Urschel participated in the team's offseason workouts but did not report to training camp, which started on Wednesday.
“This morning John Urschel informed me of his decision to retire from football,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said in a statement. “We respect John and respect his decision. We appreciate his efforts over the past three years and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”
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According to the Ravens' website, Urschel is a Ph.D. candidate in mathematics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
His decision also comes two days after a medical study indicated that evidence of CTE, the debilitating brain disease, was found in 99 percent of deceased NFL players' brains that were donated to scientific research.
According to the team, Urschel has not given a reason for his retirement.
John and his mother, Venita, did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment.
In 2016, Urschel wrote a first-hand account on the website The Players Tribune, where he stated he envied then 24-year-old Chris Borland, who retired from pro football because of concerns about long-term brain injury.
"Playing a hitting position in the NFL can’t possibly help your long-term mental health," Urschel wrote at the time. "However, it’s also true that how bad such a pursuit is for you is something that, I believe, no one really knows for sure right now."
He continued: "I have a bright career ahead of me in mathematics. Beyond that, I have the means to make a good living and provide for my family, without playing football. I have no desire to try to accumulate $10 million in the bank; I already have more money in my bank account than I know what to do with. I drive a used hatchback Nissan Versa and live on less than $25k a year. It’s not because I’m frugal or trying to save for some big purchase, it’s because the things I love the most in this world (reading math, doing research, playing chess) are very, very inexpensive."
A native Winnipeg, Canada, Urschel started at right guard for Penn State throughout his junior and senior seasons (2011-2012). During his tenure at the school, he was awarded the William V. Campbell Trophy, known as the "academic Heisman."
The Ravens drafted Urschel in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He has suited up at guard and center in 42 games, starting 15.
