NFL Rumors: Early Retirement Is The New Norm In The League: Find Out Why

Early NFL retirements are starting to become a raging trend among professional footballers these days. The league's so-called 'concussion crisis' is starting to escalate in what many observers call as the 'retirement crisis'.

When news of D'Brickashaw Ferguson's farewell got leaked early on Friday, the former New York Jets left tackle had just joined a string of other NFL veterans who hanged up their cleats after a little over 10 years or so in professional football.

"Yes...there's been a culture shift fueled by variables that include concussions, CTE concerns, protocols, a huge class-action lawsuit and common sense," sports writer Jarret Bell wrote in his USA Today piece.

He further noted, "Players, in many cases, are not so much waking up to the ultimate reality check of having their broken-down bodies kicked to the curb in a salary-cap slashing as they are to opting out on their own terms."

As the general view on the long-term downside of professional football continues to shift, the trend would probably see more and more stream of young retirees in the years to come. Before, NFL players would hang on as much as they can to score a lucrative contract.

However, a series of class action lawsuits filed by football veterans against the league brought to public light the dangers of CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy)- a brain condition resulting from repeated concussions which may lead to Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.

It can be remembered that Ferguson expressed a sense of betrayal by the NFL after watching Will Smith film 'Concussion' which revolved around the dire consequences of head trauma.

"I fear the unavoidable truth is that playing football has placed me in harm's way, and I am not yet sure of the full extent of what it might cost me," remarked Ferguson as quoted by the Huffington Post.

Furthermore, Ferguson appeared to have also been affected by the premature retirement of two 49ers players, namely, Anthony Davis and Chris Borland due to head injuries. Even players much younger than Ferguson are hanging up their cleats too.

Just last week, 23-year-old Bills linebacker AJ Tarpley also made a fateful decision to retire very soon after suffering his third and fourth concussions in the 2015 season.

"I am walking away from the game I love to preserve my future health," Tarpley said as reported by New York Daily News. "This decision is the hardest I've made yet but after much research and contemplation I believe it's what is best for me going forward."