Borland To Return Over $400,000 To 49ers Following Early Retirement
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) - Ex-49er linebacker Chris Borland decided to walk away from football last week, and he has since confirmed to CBS that he'll leave some of his money behind.
During an interview on CBS News' Face the Nation, Borland said he plans to return three-quarters of this signing bonus.
"Borland received a $617,436 signing bonus when he inked a four-year rookie deal with the Niners coming out of college. He'll be returning $463,077 to the team assuming his three-quarters number is spot on," reports CBS Sports. "It was thought the team could attempt to require Borland to return the signing bonus since he didn't play out the full length of his contract."
During fall training camp last year, Borland said he sustained a hit that "was nothing out of the ordinary for a linebacker."
"There's a lot of vernacular in football about getting your 'bell rung' or getting 'dinged,' and it was one of those instances. The hit itself wasn't cataclysmic, it just changed the way I approached the game," Borland said.
The incident triggered him to ask, "Is this the route I want to go? How many times am I going to do this, for how long, and what are the real consequences?"
Last week he talked to CBS News about the decision to leave the pro game after his successful first season.
