Barry Sanders, one of the greatest running backs in NFL history, was adept at leaving defenders grasping for air week in and week out. In his NFL tenure from 1989 to 1998, the Detroit Lions Legend recorded 15,269 career yards and won an MVP award in 1997. However, in 1999, while arguably enjoying his peak as an athlete, Sanders announced his retirement at the age of 31.
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The running back told the world he is quitting with a simple letter to his hometown newspaper. Sanders seemed in great physical shape, and was just 1,457 yards shy of breaking Walter Payton’s all-time rushing record at the time.
Fans were left baffled. Sanders, who had rushed for 2,628 yards and 37 touchdowns with Oklahoma State in his Heisman-winning year in 1988, had so many accolades that were within his grasp but chose to pull the plug on an illustrious career. He finally revealed the reason during a recent appearance on Green Light with Chris Long.
According to the Hall of Famer, burnout and a lack of desire to start fresh with a team other than the Detroit Lions led him to hang up his cleats. Sanders narrated that it was a tough call to make, especially since he knew he had “two to three” years left in him physically.
However, around a year or two before retiring, self-doubt started creeping into his mind. The Lions, at that point, were on the cusp of yet another rebuild — a phase that Sanders wasn’t sure he could endure.
“It was tough, man. It was a tough decision. Probably at the beginning of year 10, maybe even before that, I started thinking, ‘I don’t know if I’m too sure about this anymore’. You know, this kind of rebuilding — it’s just not for me,” said Sanders.
Sanders had also started wondering if he had it in him to give his all like he did over the years. That too without silverware to show. In the decade that Sanders played for the Lions, they made the playoffs five times but only won a single postseason game.
“That drive, that passion to keep competing, it wasn’t the same. And also, maybe some of it was just asking myself, ‘Is it even worth it?’ Not physically, but just looking at the bigger picture — the construction of the team,” he added.
That said, the former RB admitted that he knew how he could have prolonged his career. Whether it was adjusting his explosive playstyle to rely more on his football IQ or bringing in an OT to take fewer hits, Sanders was well aware of how to go about it.
“Physically, maybe two to three more years — if everything went perfectly… Maybe if I could’ve brought over guys like Willie Roaf… Maybe I wasn’t as fast or as jittery at year 10, but I think I was a smarter runner, more patient. I knew the game better,” elaborated Sanders.
The mind and body are where the heart is. And in Sanders’ case, grinding for a team that wasn’t a true contender had taken its toll.
“Over the last year or two, I started feeling like, ‘I don’t know how much longer I can really keep going.’ Staying in the game, doing all the little things it takes to be on top—that’s a grind. And beyond that, I wanted to be somewhere I had a real purpose—a real chance of winning something,” he said.
While fans may still wonder ‘what if’, one thing is certain: Sanders left the game on his own terms, at the peak of his abilities, with a legacy that will stand the test of time.
