After explaining his rationale for retiring at 23, the ex-Bills linebacker discusses his final play, head trauma and players walking away. Plus reader mailbag questions on Will Smith’s death, Von Miller and more
Chances are you hadn’t heard of A.J. Tarpley until the middle of last week, when the second-year Bills linebacker announced his retirement at 23. Maybe you still haven’t. But if you like this game, you should read what this Stanford kid wrote for The MMQBon Tuesday. It’s educational, touching, and full of the love of—and fear for—football from a player who devoted his life to making the NFL, and then made the agonizing choice to quit out of concern for his long-term health.