Arian Foster is set to embark on his sixth season with the Houston Texans, but he came closer than we knew to hanging up the cleats after last year's season-ending back surgery.
"Any time an athlete goes through an injury like that -- a back, a neck, even knees or hips, something that puts you out for the entire season -- you kind of re-evaluate your life," Foster told ESPN.com's Hannah Storm, via the site's Tania Ganguli.
"You see what's really important. Is getting paralyzed more important than playing with your grandkids when you're 50, 60 years old. People die on the football field. This is a really brutal sport. Going through an injury like that, being 27 years old, I'm young, still I'm at the prime of my career. Is it worth it to try to come back?"
Foster revealed to Storm that a past encounter with Hall of Fame running back Earl Campbell impacted his thoughts about the future after "looking at (Campbell) in a wheelchair and seeing how some of the affects from football are affecting him today and you're just looking at what really matters here."
Foster's comments might not sit well with some of the league's win-at-all-cost personalities. Still, he shouldn't be critiqued for prioritizing his long-term health. No player should.
"I'm going to walk away when I want to," Foster said.
The latest Around The League Podcast talks about the good and bad out of Cowboys camp, then plays the "What's More Likely?" game.
