Vontae Davis, a defensive back for the Buffalo Bills, certainly set the NFL world abuzz recently when he officially retired -- at halftime of a game going on.
Many, including former players, have been quick to rip him. He's a quitter, a coward, wasn't there for his teammates, etc., etc.
But not so fast.
Someone quitting their job, even in the middle of a work shift, is hardly anything new. It happens all the time. The USA even had a President (Richard Nixon) that quit during the middle of his term. Country singer Johnny Paycheck had a big hit with his song "Take This Job And Shove It". Again, for various reasons, people take a hike from their places of employment.
Should Davis have at least played the second half of the above-mentioned game? Maybe. By quitting when he did, he left his team a man short for the second half. But hey, it's the Buffalo Bills. It's not like they're some kind of contender. Quite the opposite. They're gawd-awful, perhaps the worst team in the league. Man short? They could play with an extra man and would probably still lose.
Davis has had a long career by NFL standards, including going to two Pro Bowls. So that means he's made many millions of dollars over the years. If he has just a few of those millions stashed away somewhere, he can live quite comfortably for the rest of his life. No worries.
Further, perhaps Davis had an epiphany, so to speak. He wanted to get out now, while his brain and body are still intact. Not after the second half of the game. NOW. And who knows what that second half may have held in store for him? Maybe a severe injury. Ya never know.
Who is anybody else to tell Davis when the proper time to retire is? If in his mind, it was right that minute, so be it. And he gave up a lot of money by deciding to do it that way.
On the flip side, that creates an opening on the Bills roster. An athlete that couldn't make the club before -- will now. Bet he's happy.
True, retiring in the middle of a game was unusual as the NFL goes, perhaps an all-time first. But he certainly had the right to do it. It's not like he broke any laws.
In a lot of other jobs, people wouldn't even bat an eye if somebody quit/retired. Electrician, plumber, carpenter, engineer, chemist, even a teacher could walk off in the middle of a class. They would all quickly be replaced and no problem
If a lawyer did it in the middle of a trial, he/she would likely be disbarred, but why would they care if they'd plan to retire anyway?
Even a surgeon could do it in the middle of an operation, but he/she might get slapped with an eye-popping law suit if something went wrong.
It would be tough for, say, an astronaut to retire in the middle of a space flight. Popping open the hatch and hopping out into the cosmos would likely draw even more attention than what Vontae Davis did. And certainly have more severe consequences. Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Still, in the end, this was Vontae Davis's decision to make and he made it. It might seem untimely to most, but I, you, and everybody else don't know what was going through his mind at the time.
He had had enough, right now, on the spot, and took a hike for his own reasons.
Others don't like it, but that's their problem.
I say, cut the man some slack.
Good grief, in a week or two, nobody will remember it anyway.
It's the Bills, remember?
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