Vikings cornerback retires at age 24

[ThomasTomasz]

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- The Minnesota Vikings announced Wednesday that cornerback Asher Allen has retired from football, a curious decision for a 24-year-old who was about to enter only his fourth NFL season.

Coach Leslie Frazier didn't get into specifics of the conversation he had with Allen last week, but did say he was surprised by the decision by the former third-round draft pick, who would have been counted on to provide depth in the secondary this season.

Allen was drafted out of Georgia in 2009. He started 11 games in 2010, but struggled last season as part of the Vikings' banged-up secondary. He had four interceptions in his career.

Allen suffered at least two concussions in his three years in the NFL, including one last season. Concussions have become a front-burner issue in professional football in recent years, with hundreds of former players suing the league alleging it turned a blind eye to the long-term effects that head injuries can have.

According to Frazier, Allen did not say whether it was related to injuries. The Associated Press left a message for Allen and his agent seeking comment.

"He will talk about it more at some point," Frazier said. "He explained to me that this is something that he wanted to do and he had given it a lot of thought and that is what he wanted to do."

Allen wasn't expected to compete for a starting position this season with the Vikings, but the physical cornerback was being counted on to play some in nickel and dime packages, especially early while rookie Josh Robinson got up to speed.

Allen started 21 games in his three-year career, including nine starts as he filled in the for the injured Antoine Winfield and the suspended Chris Cook.

"We want depth, we want competition in the secondary and he definitely helped to provide that," Frazier said. "But that opens up another spot and we'll continue to comb the waiver wire. I know that (general manager) Rick (Spielman) and his staff are doing that and we'll try to see what we'll have by training camp."

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7...sota-vikings-cornerback-asher-allen-retire-24

 

[Senser81]

Good pre-emptive strike by Asher. Retire before you are cut.

 

[NAHSTE]

Being 5'8'' and terrible in coverage probably didn't help matters.

 

[Leftwich]

I always liked the name but not the person.

 

[GoChargers]

He's probably already made a couple mil and is set for life..

 

[ralaw]

At 24 I expect he'll try to make a comeback in a few years...........he's turning down a lot of money that he won't make in the real world.

 

[SuperKevin]

Can't jump on the ex player concussion lawsuit unless you are an ex player. That seems likethe motivation to me

 

[Villain]

 

[KINGOFOOTBALL]

Concussions ??

Its his own fault for trying to tackle.

 

[Aso]

At 24 I expect he'll try to make a comeback in a few years...........he's turning down a lot of money that he won't make in the real world.

I don't know. Domanick Davis looked like he had a long productive career ahead of him and he decided to just stop after some knee injuries right? Some players just don't care for the game as much as others and value their health instead. This isn't unprecedented.

 

[EmpireWF]

And yet C(ant) C(over) Brown is still active in the league. :facepalm: