- Messages
- 79,281
- Reaction score
- 45,652
WELBOURN RETIRES FROM CHIEFS
Though it would be very easy for us to claim that the possible surprise retirement to which we were referring earlier on Thursday was Chiefs tackle John Welbourn, who only hours after our story was posted walked away from the sport at the age of 30, we weren't referring to Welbourn.
Regardless, the veteran offensive lineman is packing it in, effective immediately. "I decided to retire on my own terms rather than somebody else's," Welbourn told the AP.
Given that Welbourn was suspended for four games in 2005 for violating the league's steroid policy, the "somebody else's" terms to which he refers could be a looming suspension for another violation.
The league's steroid policy requires a suspension of at least four games for a first offense, a suspension of at least six games for a second offense, and a suspension of at least one year for a third offense.
Of course, we're not reporting that Welbourn has committed a second or a third violation of the policy (primarily because we've allowed our liability insurance to lapse). But any time a player with a history of violating either the substance abuse policy or the steroid policy abruptly walks away from the game, there will be speculation that the guy walked before he got run.
Official Story
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/14827762.htm
Though it would be very easy for us to claim that the possible surprise retirement to which we were referring earlier on Thursday was Chiefs tackle John Welbourn, who only hours after our story was posted walked away from the sport at the age of 30, we weren't referring to Welbourn.
Regardless, the veteran offensive lineman is packing it in, effective immediately. "I decided to retire on my own terms rather than somebody else's," Welbourn told the AP.
Given that Welbourn was suspended for four games in 2005 for violating the league's steroid policy, the "somebody else's" terms to which he refers could be a looming suspension for another violation.
The league's steroid policy requires a suspension of at least four games for a first offense, a suspension of at least six games for a second offense, and a suspension of at least one year for a third offense.
Of course, we're not reporting that Welbourn has committed a second or a third violation of the policy (primarily because we've allowed our liability insurance to lapse). But any time a player with a history of violating either the substance abuse policy or the steroid policy abruptly walks away from the game, there will be speculation that the guy walked before he got run.
Official Story
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/14827762.htm
