When Mark Murphy was playing in the NFL, the league quit you before you quit the league.
So the Packers president admitted that based on his own experience, he was surprised when defensive tackle B.J. Raji stepped away from the game for at least this year.
“Oh yeah, he had been communicating with Russ [Ball, the Packers’ chief negotiator] and we thought we had a deal done,” Murphy said, via Stu Courtney of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. “I think it surprised his agent.”
The 29-year-old defensive tackle said he was willing to step away for a year because he wasn’t as committed as he felt he needed to be, despite what he termed a “very, very nice” offer from the Packers. He referred to it as a “hiatus” but follows along with a number of stars who are walking away from the game while they have chances to continue.
It wasn’t that way when Murphy was playing, as the former Washington safety saw his career cut short by injuries.
“My career ended – it wasn’t my decision – I wanted to keep playing, desperately,” Murphy said. “I wanted to keep playing but I wasn’t able to. As I look back on it, it’s probably the best thing that happened to me. I think most players will play as long as they can but I think you can play too long. If your heart isn’t in it and you’re not passionate about it, it’s probably the best thing to do, step away from the game.”
Raji left the door open to change his mind, but the decision illustrates what seems like a significant shift in player attitudes, especially when stars such as Calvin Johnson are hanging it up while they clearly could be playing.