Bears will miss Dalman, but don’t question his decision to retire

Center Drew Dalman's retirement creates an unexpected, gaping hole in the Bears offensive line, no doubt.

There's only one proper response: Stand up and applaud.

Maybe this news, reported by ESPN, will hurt the Bears' chances for making a Super Bowl run, maybe not. But when an NFL player can walk away from the sport with financial stability and relatively good health, it's reason to celebrate.

Anyone who enjoys watching football should value player safety above all else. There have been far too many tragic stories of athletes who struggled with brain health or other debilitating injuries later in life. This was surely a difficult decision for Dalman, who is 27 and spent five years in the NFL.

He's the classic brainy offensive lineman, who studied mechanical engineering at Stanford. A bit undersized for the position, Dalman played 100% of the Bears’ offensive snaps this season — 1,313 plays, according to pro-football-reference.com.

Dalman also grew up an NFL insider, because his father Chris was an offensive lineman for the San Francisco 49ers from 1993-99. The elder Dalman retired at 30, and not by choice. He suffered a neck injury during training camp in August of 2000 and was left temporarily paralyzed.

This is Chris Dalman's description of what happened, from an Associated Press story. The retirement announcement didn't happen until after the season, for salary-cap reasons.

“I've been OK with this decision (to retire) for a long time,” Chris Dalman said. “When I first got hurt and I couldn't move, laying on the field for about 30 seconds, I knew it was probably over. Still, it's strange to think that this part of your life is over.”

Drew Dalman was two when his father retired from football, and is surely well aware of that story. We don't yet know the exact reasons for Drew's decision, but if it involved how he's been feeling physically, losing a love for the game, or simply to avoid what could happen, it doesn't matter. These are very personal decisions, same as teammate Joe Thuney choosing to keep playing at 33.

An unforgettable moment in my career was attending a Concussion & CTE Foundation dinner in Chicago, the organization headed by former Hersey multisport star Chris Nowinski. He played football at Harvard, then went on a WWE reality show and became a pro wrestler. His career ended after a severe concussion, caused by, naturally, being struck in the head by a metal folding chair.

The audience in the room that night listened to several heartbreaking stories of athletes who took their own lives after suffering from post-concussion syndrome. Nowinski knows the darkness of brain trauma, but managed to get past his worst moments, and now strives to save lives by learning more about CTE and spreading awareness.

No idea if any of this applies to Dalman. The point is, when an NFL player decides it's time to quit, don't question it, don't try to talk him out of it. If he chooses to unretire someday, that's fine. Trust the opinion of the person who is delivering the hits and dealing with the aftermath on Monday mornings.

What's next for the Bears? Well, Dalman gave them the courtesy of making this decision before free-agency opens and well before the draft. The Bears have the opportunity to find a solid replacement.

Dalman was easily the best free-agent signing of the Ryan Poles era. No pressure, just do that again.