'I shouldn't be out there anymore': why Vontae Davis retired at half-time

The Bills cornerback walked away from a multi-million dollar contract on his own terms: at half-time in Sunday’s loss

The rigors of training camp bring enlightenment for many football players. That’s the most grueling portion of the NFL schedule for veterans who must put their body, year after year, through the grind prior to kickoff.

It’s a time when many aging veterans realize they no longer want to sacrifice their bodies after millions earned and plenty of accolades racked up. Some players realize they no longer have the desire to train non-stop and diet after the season concludes.

Others make the decision in the summer as camp grows near and they contemplate the gauntlet they’ll have to endure. Vontae Davis walked a very different path to his own epiphany Sunday.

Now 30 years old, and armed with a one-year, $5m contract signed with the Buffalo Bills in March, the cornerback suddenly lost his desire to play football and wasted no time.

The former first-round pick retired abruptly Sunday. Not before the game. Not after the game. When the clock hit zero to end the second quarter, with his Bills trailing the Los Angeles Chargers 28-6, Davis entered the home locker room at Ralph Wilson Stadium and walked over to his locker.

He removed his glossy white helmet with the red buffalo emblazoned on it, shed his shoulder pads, unstrapped his gloves, and quickly changed into civvies. Davis was spent.

Before any of his teammates knew what was transpiring, Davis had fled Orchard Park and was headed home.

Moments earlier, the former Pro Bowl corner gleefully celebrated a pass breakup. Now, he was done with the game for good.

“This isn’t how I pictured retiring from the NFL,” the brother of Washington tight end Vernon Davis said in a statement released on social media.

“But in my 10th NFL season, I have been doing what my body has been programmed to do: Get ready to play on game day. I’ve endured multiple surgeries and played through many different injuries throughout my career and, over the last few weeks, this was the latest physical challenge.

“But today on the field, reality hit me fast and hard: I shouldn’t be out there anymore.

“I meant no disrespect to my teammates and coaches. But I hold myself to a standard. Mentally, I always expect myself to play at a high level. But physically, I know today that isn’t possible, and I had an honest moment with myself. While I was on the field, I just didn’t feel right, and I told the coaches, ‘I’m not feeling like myself.’

“I also wondered: Do I want to keep sacrificing?

“And truthfully, I do not because the season is long, and it’s more important for me and my family to walk away healthy than to willfully embrace the warrior mentality and limp away too late.

“This was an overwhelming decision, but I’m at peace with myself and my family. I choose to be grateful to God for allowing me to play the game that I have loved as a boy until I turned 30 years old. I choose to be grateful to God for being a part of the NFL and making lifelong friends over the last decade. There were roadblocks and pitfalls along the way, but I am grateful to God for all of it because he doesn’t promise any of us an easy journey.

“Lastly, I am grateful to God for what he has in store for me ahead, in this next chapter of my life.”

The question that remains unanswered: why now? Why not wait until the contest ended? For even though Davis says he meant no disrespect to his teammates, that’s exactly what he showed them.

And he’ll be hard-pressed to ever be accepted into another locker room if he ever decides to reverse course and pursue another NFL job.

“I never have seen that,” said Bills linebacker Lorenzo Alexander, a Pro Bowl selection last season. “Pop Warner, high school, pros – never heard of it. Never seen it.

“It’s just completely disrespectful to his teammates. ... He didn’t say nothing to nobody. I found out going into the second half of the game. They said he’s not coming out; he retired. That’s it.”

Football is a dangerous game, and if your heart’s not in it, the risks only grow. Everyone has the right to walk away on their own terms. But Davis didn’t take into consideration the feelings of his teammates or even the guidelines that dictate basic decency.

With increasing frequency, players are hanging up their helmets at earlier career junctures citing the physical toll the gridiron takes on their bodies. The concussion debate isn’t going away – nor should it – and participation in youth football is down across the board.

Davis’s abrupt retirement not only caught the ire of his teammates, but also players – both past and present – around the league.

But there are surely players out there who are also second-guessing their football futures. And if Davis is willing to walk away in the middle of a contest, it might spur them to retire on their own terms, too.

Fantasy player of the week

Patrick Mahomes: The second-year signal caller lit up the Chargers in Week 1, and it was no fluke. This guy is for real.

He passed for six touchdowns on 23 of 28 passing for 326 yards to lead the Kansas City Chiefs over the Pittsburgh Steelers, 42-37. His 10 TDs in the first two games of the season are an NFL record. And these aren’t simply glossy numbers. It’s the way Mahomes is doing the job.

His laser-guided throws are delivered with equal parts zip and accuracy. Mahomes’ field awareness belies his 23 years (and three career starts). He loves to take shots down field and is able to drop passes over defenders into tight windows.

With an array of weapons at his disposal – outside speedster Tyreke Hill and All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce over the middle – Mahomes will continue to rack up impressive stats.

The No 10 overall draft choice from Texas Tech is a budding star in a quarterback-driven league, and he’s just getting started.

Stat of the week

19. The mind-boggling amount of field-goal attempts that missed their mark in Week 2.

Minnesota Vikings kicker Daniel Carlson could be out of a job after he went 0-for-3, including an errant attempt from 35 yards that would have topped the Green Bay Packers in overtime.

“It feels terrible. Obviously, I let my team down,” said Carlson, a fifth-round pick whom the Vikings traded up to draft in April. “That last one was probably more just confidence after missing twice early. That’s frustrating. That shorter one I should never miss like that.”

Zane Gonzalez turned in an even worse performance. The Cleveland Browns kicker yanked two field goals – and two extra points – in a 21-18 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

He had a chance to earn redemption, but couldn’t convert a 52-yarder that would have sent the game to overtime. Gonzalez also had a 43-yarder blocked in overtime of Week 1, and the Browns once again remain winless.

With quality options like Dan Bailey waiting for a call, it should be a busy week for veteran free agent kickers.

Video of the week

Last season, the claim was that the Jacksonville Jaguars won in spite of Blake Bortles. But in a rematch of the AFC Championship Game from January, it was Bortles who put the team on his back.

When the Jags desperately needed a first down to chew clock, there was Bortles breaking out the spin move on a 10-yard scamper as New England Patriots corner Jonathan Jones met him at the sticks. He rushed six times for 35 yards.

Bortles was fantastic in the air, too, during the 31-20 victory. He passed for 377 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. Star running back Leonard Fournette missed the game with a hamstring injury, but the offense didn’t miss a beat.

If Bortles can continue to conjure up some magic, the Jags and their stingy defense look like an early-season favorite to make the trip to Atlanta come February.

Quote of the week

“I have so many emotions running through as far as just what a terrible call it was. ... I thought I hit him within his waist, his chest. I got my head across, put my hands down. To call it at that point of the game is just unbelievable.

“You see how it changed the game, and I know there’s an emphasis on protecting quarterbacks, but it’s gotten out of control here. I don’t know what else to do.” – Green Bay Packers pass rusher Clay Matthews on the roughing the passer call that gave the Minnesota Vikings new life

Really, what else could Matthews do? It was far from a violent hit, but referee Tony Corrente saw it differently; he ruled that Matthews illegally lifted Kirk Cousins and placed his body weight on the QB.

The call negated the interception made by Jaire Alexander with under two minutes remaining and extended the Vikings’ march to tie the game. That’s exactly what Cousins did eight plays later with an incredible touchdown toss to Adam Thielen.

Elsewhere around the league

• Is Jamies Winston going to be under center when he returns from suspension in Week 4? Not if Ryan Fitzpatrick continues his stunning play. The veteran backup dazzled for the second consecutive week and it led to another upset win for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. FitzMagic passed for 402 yards and four touchdowns in the 27-21 victory over the Philadelphia. Last week, it was the 35-year-old with 417 yards and four touchdowns over the Saints. He sports a near-perfect 151.5 passer rating, and if he can come close to replicating this play in Week 3, Winston might have to grow accustomed to the visor and clipboard look.

• The Los Angeles Rams stomped the Arizona Cardinals in a 34-0 shutout. The Cards generated just five first downs along with 137 yards to 432 for the Rams. Todd Gurley’s bunch was pegged as a Super Bowl favorite heading into the campaign, and with Brandin Cooks off to the races in his new uniform, it’s easy to see why.

• Jon Gruden, back roaming the sideline for the Oakland Raiders, was sharply panned for his pre-season trade of elite pass rusher Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears. After another blown lead – and a loss – the criticism is only growing louder.

• Derek Carr bounced back with a big showing, but the Raiders allowed a last-second field goal from the rival Denver Broncos to lose 20-19.