Abrupt retirements

While I have no evidence that Magic Johnson used drugs, I wouldn't be surprised if he had, given that so many athletes lived the so-called "rock star lifestyle."

But I recalling Magic admitting to having sex with multiple partners, which we all learned was a way HIV can be transmitted.

 

This is borderline abrupt, but I will still throw it out there because I think most people thought he could still play a few more years, and I remember that being an issue when he did pull the chute in 1999, but Wayne Gretzky, yes he was 38 at the time, but the previous year he scored 90 points in 82 games, in his final year he had 60 in 70 games, the first time in his career he did not score at a point per game pace, and this was during the height of the trap era.

You could also throw out Bobby Orr, though his was abrupt only due to length, I don't think anyone was surprised when it happened because there was little left of knees.

Really, it just gives me an excuse to dig up this old commercial, still one of my all-time favourites.

 

"In the sixties, I made love to many, many women. Often outdoors. In the mud and the rain. And it's possible a man slipped in. There would be no way of knowing."

 

Bison Dele.


And I'd echo Robert Smith ... retired just as he was reaching his potential. Wasn't he going to med school? And then became an analyst.

Sorry, but anyone who unretires - Jordan, Favre, etc., is DQ'd. Not sure I'd count medical issues, such as Magic, either. It's one thing to walk away because you want to. It's another because you have to.


Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't Magic retire, but then play in the Olympics or Pan-A, games?

 

Olympics.

 

He was planning to return to the NFL once his service was over. He wasn't going to re-up in the Army.

 

Yes, that team that hardly anyone remembers, the 92 Dream Team.

 

About a decade ago I was out with a bunch of writers and one was a longtime NBA writer and we were talking about Magic and whether he still has the HIV virus. The NBA writer said, "I'd tell you all of the different stories and theories I've heard about Magic, but you'd think I was a conspiracy theorist. I said, "NO! I want to hear them all..." and he told me all of them, some of which seemed plausible, some of which seemed beyond insane, and keep in mind, that's coming from someone who is an admitted conspiracy theorist. After he told me all of the ones he'd heard, I asked him which he believed and the one that he believes is pretty different from what we've been fed over the last 20+ years.

He certainly wasn't passing anything off as fact, but he said some of the most insane theories came from. He said most of the people he's talked to don't think we've been given anything close to the whole story. To an extent, why would we get the true story? I don't expect Magic to sit at a press conference and say, "This is how I got it, this is what I'm taking to fight it..." He may not even know how he got it, but I think he's said in the past that he knows, or has a pretty good idea who he got it from...

 

Lou Gehrig probably needs a mention. Not sure if you count ALS as an "injury" or more like Magic and the HIV scare.

Surprised Don Meredith hasn't gotten mentioned. He was one of the NFL's biggest stars and just said hell with it.

 

Chick Gandil

Retired after the 1919 Series with the money he made from the fix.

 

Will Clark

Carried the Cardinals to the playoffs in 2000 by hitting .345/.426/.655 in 50 games after being acquired at the trade deadline when Mark McGwire's 'roided out ligaments and tendons started to give way.

Retired in the offseason at age 36, even though he could still hit and the Cardinals wanted him back.

 

Billy Wagner was a deserving All-Star closer in 2010 at age 38 (37 SV, 1.43 ERA) and was still near the top of his game, but made it very, very clear when he signed with the Braves that it was his final year.