OT: Marcus Lattimore Retires
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11827168/marcus-lattimore-san-francisco-49ers-retires-nfl
Feel so bad for the man. Whenever you see a gruesome injury like his, you hope that person can recover and go on to have a productive career a la Willis McGahee. But the reality is that people can get hurt real bad in football and sometimes the storybook ending never happens.
November 5th, 2014 at 7:05 PM ^
Feel bad for him too. It's a shame it didn't work out, he had so much talent.
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
November 5th, 2014 at 7:07 PM ^
a la Willis McGahee too, but yes, this is too bad. I wish him well in the next phase of his life.
November 5th, 2014 at 7:09 PM ^
you're right, i thought of the wrong miami rb
November 5th, 2014 at 7:13 PM ^
Not necessarily. Gore had knee injury issues a few times in college too. It's basically what gave Clinton Portis and McGahee their chances to play during the same time period at Miami. Talk about a stacked roster with all three of those guys on it at one time!
November 5th, 2014 at 7:16 PM ^
to that nasty knee injury in the fiesta bowl. guess my mind temporarily repressed the memory.
but yes, those miami teams were the definition of stacked.
November 5th, 2014 at 7:42 PM ^
I totally forgot about Clinton Portis. The early 2000s Miami teams were incredibly stacked with talent
November 5th, 2014 at 8:12 PM ^
Gore had tons of knee issues in HS & college as well. His long term success definitely beat the odds.
November 5th, 2014 at 10:34 PM ^
change his running style and transform his body. He used to be one of the fastest back in the country, but changed himself into a power back.
November 5th, 2014 at 7:09 PM ^
McGahee*
November 5th, 2014 at 7:12 PM ^
Glad the Niners took a shot at him, even though it didn't work out.
November 5th, 2014 at 7:16 PM ^
Very unfortunate for him. I was hoping he would come back from the injury/injuries and enjoy a long, successful NFL career. He will do well regardless. He seems like a quality guy with a good head on his shoulders. I know the University of SC will welcome him back with open arms in whatever capacity he wants. Maybe he will find his niche in coaching. Best of luck to him in whatever he decides to do.
November 5th, 2014 at 7:18 PM ^
As a 49ers fan I thought he was an excellent draft pick. Similar to the Frank Gore pick. After they drafted Hyde I figured he wasn't going to make it. I just hope he used the money he has received wisely.
November 5th, 2014 at 7:22 PM ^
Yep. Remember this story when you hear some self-righteous talking head bloviating about staying in school. Get your money when you can kids.
Also, real nice how that three-year rule works for the NFL to get a free minor league. Lattimore could have earned income AT LEAST after his freshman year.
November 5th, 2014 at 7:32 PM ^
I guess that's one perspective. Another might be to stay in school to prepare yourself for the 50+ years of life after your likely short professional sports career (not to mention to prepare yourself for that sports career). I guess that's just silly.
November 5th, 2014 at 7:35 PM ^
to me it's more about choice. player should be able to decide which is best option for himself.
November 5th, 2014 at 7:50 PM ^
18,19, and even most 20 year olds are not physically capable of playing in the NFL. Further it's not just the physical aspect there is also a know how on protecting yourself while playing that takes time to learn
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
November 5th, 2014 at 9:38 PM ^
November 5th, 2014 at 10:46 PM ^
You may disagree with Michigan248, but how on Earth was his post self-righteous?
November 6th, 2014 at 10:38 AM ^
I met a Navy officer who was a pediatric ER doc. He said that all branches of the military are sending more and more pediatric specialists overseas as they've acknowledged that these 18-19-20 year olds are not yet fully developed and still benefit more from having peds doctors take care of them in many cases. Particularly true for the ortho cases, I believe.
November 5th, 2014 at 7:27 PM ^
He was such a great talent.
November 5th, 2014 at 7:33 PM ^
Aside from Michigan games, I typically prioritize watching college games featuring exciting players, and Lattimore was one of my favorites up until his injury.
November 5th, 2014 at 7:49 PM ^
Absolute shame. Watching him play in high school at Byrnes will (surely) be among my most memorable football watching experiences for a very long time.
November 5th, 2014 at 8:17 PM ^
I hope he has something to fall back on beyond SC very likely hooking him up in some capacity. Does he qualify for any NFL retirement benefits? Maybe based on being on a roster for 3 years (IIRC)?
November 5th, 2014 at 8:33 PM ^
I always found it strange that football - the most brutal sport - is the one wthout guaranteed contracts. Meanwhile a bunch of NBA and MLB guys sit at home or in the NBA at the far end of the bench never playing, making guaranteed millions.
I get it logistically but the shelf life of the NFL player can end so quickly it seems like a cruel twist.
November 5th, 2014 at 8:38 PM ^
The Mets are still paying Bobby Bonilla, and Mo Vaughan was the highest paid player on their roster several years after retiring. Powerful union. The NFLPA needs a Don Fehr.
November 5th, 2014 at 8:39 PM ^
you get paid a (relatively) modest salary when you explode, but then when it's time to get paid teams are worried that you're already past your prime. it makes no sense on either side.
November 5th, 2014 at 8:39 PM ^
The NFL has been incredibly good at convincing people that "money-saving policies that favor billionaire owners" are good things for the players and promote "competition" for each team. The fact that most guys get their signing bonus and that's it has always seemed absurd to me.
November 5th, 2014 at 10:25 PM ^
Yeah, I mean obviously the other side of it is that the owners in the NFL are going to fight the hardest against guaranteed contracts because they have to have the biggest rosters, and any of the players can lose their career in a second. But yeah, the NFLPA is shockingly weak, hard to imagine why that would be.
November 6th, 2014 at 9:51 AM ^
I agree I wish it had the same rules as baseball and the NBA
November 5th, 2014 at 8:38 PM ^
Feel bad for the kid. He really was one of the best college RBs when he was healthy, and I'm sure would have carved out a nice career in the NFL.
November 5th, 2014 at 9:20 PM ^
That's a shame he was such a great talent but never got a full year to show what he can do
November 5th, 2014 at 9:51 PM ^
means Harbaugh is coming for sure now, right?
November 6th, 2014 at 8:03 AM ^
Joe Theisman / Redskins who never played again afterward.
November 6th, 2014 at 11:21 AM ^
On a note unrelated to injury, I always thought Lattimore was overrated as a college player. He didn't have great numbers (career 4.8 yards/carry), only reached 1,000 yards one time (as a freshman), and never looked explosive to me, even before that injury. I rooted for him to come back from that nasty leg injury, but I don't know that he would have been a quality NFL player even if he had remained healthy.