Ravens’ John Urschel shockingly retires

In a surprising turn of events, Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman John Urschel retired from the NFL Thursday morning at the age of 26.

While Urschel has started 13 games for Baltimore since he was drafted in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft, he was better known throughout the league for his scholarly achievements.

Urschel has spent the past two offseasons pursuing a Ph.D in applied mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is also a published author and has taught a class at his alma mater Penn State.

Urschel has yet to release a statement on his retirement, but there is speculation that his decision has to do with football’s effects on the brain, as it comes just days after the publication of a Boston University study which found CTE in the brain tissue of 110 out of 111 former football players.

After Chris Borland’s pre-mature retirement in 2015, Urschel discussed his thoughts on concussions and playing in the NFL in The Players Tribune, coming to the conclusion that his love for the game was reason enough to continue playing. He also wrote in 2016 about his difficulties balancing football and mathematics.

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Urschel had reported to all of the Ravens’ offseason activities up until Wednesday’s first training camp session. He was expected to compete for the starting center job with Ryan Jensen and Matt Skura. In a statement on the team’s official site, head coach John Harbaugh said, “We respect John and his decision. We appreciate his efforts over the past three years and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”

Urschel is the second young player this year to retire from the Ravens. In January, All-Pro inside linebacker Zach Orr retired due to a neck and spine condition, only to return this spring as a free agent. He is still finding a team.