Eugene Monroe decides to retire.

[757RavensFan]

A "source" told  ESPN's Josina Anderson that Monroe is going to officially retire. 

I say offer him the vet's minimum for LT depth.  

[trevorsteadman]

I saw this and I was amazed. I doubt he got any offers worth taking. Probably more intrested in marajuana research. 

[rmcjacket23]

3 minutes ago, 757RavensFan said:

A "source" told  ESPN's Josina Anderson that Monroe is going to officially retire. 

I say offer him the vet's minimum for LT depth.  

He was obviously getting much better offers than that from other teams.

This appears to be a combination of lack of desire to keep playing and the long-term view based on his recent injury history.

Guy made $41.3M in his career. He's probably decided he's had enough.

Edited July 21, 2016 by rmcjacket23

[BmoreBird22]

This could be a huge reason the Ravens cut him- lack of desire to continue putting his body at risk.

[JoeyFlex5]

He doesn't wanna play. He wouldn't come back for vet min. We don't want him back for various reasons.

[FastEddie]

Not shocked by his decesion. Sounds like his injury history opened his eyes a bit with the simple risks out-weighing the rewards

[FastEddie]

Welp thats all she wrote...I have a lot of respect for people like him when it boils down to things. He obviously respects his body and mind more than making millions to destroy them. Solid move Eugene.

Quote

Free agent OT Eugene Monroe announced his retirement after seven seasons in the NFL.

In his retirement letter linked below, Monroe cites health concerns as one of the main reasons for his decision. "The last 18 years have been full of traumatic injuries to both my head and my body," Monroe wrote. "That’s why one of the first things I’m planning to do is to go to the doctor ... I’m going to get brain and body imaging scans, mental health assessments — anything that might help me get a handle on the state of my body and my mind." Monroe added he will continue to be a "vocal advocate" for medical marijuana research, especially as it pertains to treating CTE. Only 29, Monroe is not the first and certainly will not be the last to hang up his cleats early because of head trauma concerns.

 

[rmw10]

I don't find this at all surprising considering his last few months of tweets.  I'm not sure he would have done it if he still had a job, but I think it was quite obvious that his career was coming to an end by his own choice.

[jdynamite]

Let's be honest, the way he was speaking up about medical marijuana and the NFL. Pointing out how the NFL supports beer companies through advertisements, sells at stadiums etc but won't allow medical marijuana regardless of potential benefits to players ( his statements ).  Once he started saying his team ( the Ravens at time ) wasn't supporting him, even before the draft, I was thinking this guy must not want to be in the league for long. 

 

He over-estimated his Free Agent value gambled thinking he could get a deal. 

[rmcjacket23]

Hard to tell whether the Ravens knew of this or at least thought they knew of this, but regardless, they are certainly validated by their decision to release him. The last thing you want, even if its a depth player, is a guy on your team who's heart isn't into football anymore.

[ludy51]

"Monroe added he will continue to be a "vocal advocate" for medical marijuana research"

Of course he did.

[rmcjacket23]

13 minutes ago, ludy51 said:

"Monroe added he will continue to be a "vocal advocate" for medical marijuana research"

Of course he did.

Good for him. Now would be the time to do that even more, because he is largely correct in everything he has been saying on the subject.

 

[Inqui]

1 hour ago, trevorsteadman said:

I saw this and I was amazed. I doubt he got any offers worth taking. Probably more intrested in marajuana research. 

I'm sure that's what he'd call it.

[jazz1988]

Makes sense for him to do that.The head injuries are sure concerning though ans ldhopefully The NFl comes up with some new helmets that would be able to protect players better from head/brain trauma.

Edited July 21, 2016 by jazz1988

[Inqui]

In honesty, I can't really argue with either side of how everything played out this offseason - the Ravens were right to cut him and you really can't fault the guy for stepping away to take care of his body. He was a decent enough player when healthy and it's a shame everything had to end like that.

And from Monroe's perspective, he's better positioned in his push to legalise medical marijuana and at least be an ongoing voice on the issue as far as the NFL's concerned, since he doesn't have to worry about the kind of position it puts the team in. So best of luck to him from here.

[BmoreBird22]

I really respect him for wanting to keep his mind and body intact instead of risking it to make a couple million more that would probably go right to medical research and procedures on a damaged brain.

[Northern-Raven]

12 minutes ago, BmoreBird22 said:

I really respect him for wanting to keep his mind and body intact instead of risking it to make a couple million more that would probably go right to medical research and procedures on a damaged brain.

Agreed! Can't imagine how hard it would be to fully step away like that, very respectable. That story about getting a concussion at his first practice when he was 11 really put his decision into perspective. And if his efforts behind this research have a positive impact in the future, even better. Wish it could've worked out a bit better for him here.

[JoeyFlex5]

59 minutes ago, rmcjacket23 said:

Good for him. Now would be the time to do that even more, because he is largely correct in everything he has been saying on the subject.

 

As much as Monroe may seem a bit on the selfish side, I really do applaud him for this. The NFL is not a free-speech friendly place and DEFINITELY not a forward thinking place. and he is 100% correct on all fronts. There is not a single logical thought that even doctors can muster up to continue advocating opioids for pain treatment opposed to marijuana, nearly every negative connotation about the stuff has been debunked relentlessly, opioid death rates have soared recently and the addiction rates are flying due to overprescribing.  Let's also not forget there is deactivated THC/cannabinoid extracts that give all the positive benefits without the highs...

 

The fact that the NFL essentially blackballed his stance on this is pathetic.

[berad]

Good for him - how can you fault him for looking out for his health?

However, with the money we gave him and trade capital to get him, he could very well belong on the most disappointing Ravens... probably the one of the most expensive per game played.

[rmcjacket23]

26 minutes ago, berad said:

Good for him - how can you fault him for looking out for his health?

However, with the money we gave him and trade capital to get him, he could very well belong on the most disappointing Ravens... probably the one of the most expensive per game played.

Certainly one of the biggest FA/trade busts we've had.

Edited July 21, 2016 by rmcjacket23

[BmoreBird22]

He apparently had at least five to six teams interested in him, so this was not about the money, at all.

[ellicottraven]

Didn't he really retire right after getting his guaranteed money?

[ellicottraven]

3 minutes ago, BmoreBird22 said:

He apparently had at least five to six teams interested in him, so this was not about the money, at all.

Do you know if any of those teams actually offered him guaranteed money? I'm curious.

[rmcjacket23]

4 minutes ago, ellicottraven said:

Do you know if any of those teams actually offered him guaranteed money? I'm curious.

Probably one year contracts with a guaranteed salary for that season would be my guess. He would certainly be worth that, even if its guaranteed for the league minimum.

 

 

[BmoreBird22]

5 minutes ago, ellicottraven said:

Do you know if any of those teams actually offered him guaranteed money? I'm curious.

Couldn't say anything financially, but teams with gauranteed interest were Seattle, Giants, and 49ers.

[Tiznut]

5 hours ago, FastEddie said:

Welp thats all she wrote...I have a lot of respect for people like him when it boils down to things. He obviously respects his body and mind more than making millions to destroy them. Solid move Eugene.

 

Meh I'd respect it more if it wasn't preceded by him bad mouthing teams. He ultimately quits because of fear of injury and heart not being in it. Quite possibly what teams like Baltimore saw in him but yet he blamed it on activism. 

[LosT_in_TranSlatioN]

So he was never going to play anyway? Where are the people who said Ozzie was a fool for cutting him?  

 

I'm not surprised at all actually. 

[JoeyFlex5]

33 minutes ago, LosT_in_TranSlatioN said:

So he was never going to play anyway? Where are the people who said Ozzie was a fool for cutting him?  

 

I'm not surprised at all actually. 

I thought it was a bad mainly because it was premature and I thought he should stay as depth for one more year. 

 

I'm not surprised at all, but at the same time I doubt any of us were gonna predict his retirement.

[Willbacker]

Its not only injuries but the man has other interests right now besides football that he's focused on. Football is too much like work.

[Tiznut]

58 minutes ago, Willbacker said:

Its not only injuries but the man has other interests right now besides football that he's focused on. Football is too much like work.

Don't disagree but remember how he said he was focused and healthy a week before he was cut...