Hall of Famer Joe Thomas talks Bears center Drew Dalman's retirement
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What are Joe Thomas's initial thoughts on Drew Dalman's retirement?
Let's go to our score hotline. He also joins us on Twitch, twitch.tv slash thescorechicago. The Hall of Famer, the 10-year offensive lineman for the Cleveland Browns, six-time first-team All-Pro, 10-time Pro Bowl, part of the All-Decade team. The accolades go on and on. Joe Thomas, thank you for joining us today. Hey, thanks for having me on, guys. Well, thank you. And I think you're a perfect person to talk to when it came to just this sudden announcement of the retirement of Drew Dahlman. I said this just a couple of minutes ago to my co-host, Mark Joe, that for all the understanding of football we do, for all the research, I think until you've ever played NFL football as a lineman, we can't fully grasp, even with description, how hard it is on your body day in and day out.
How would you do that for us if you could? It's a beating. I mean, I retired after 11 years. I didn't miss a single play until my 11th season, but that was all she wrote because by the time I'd finished 10 and a half years in the NFL, I was sliding down the stairs on my butt because I couldn't walk after games. My knees hurt so bad. They were so swollen. I was getting injections every week and getting my knee drained and Um, it's a beating, even if you're not getting the big injuries, which I was able to avoid for 10 and a half years. And I didn't miss any time. You're still accumulating wear and tear and beatings on the body and the mind. Um, and, and it beats you down. And really like mentally, I was in probably a worse space than I was physically by the
Dealing with all the rehab and the wondering if you're going to be healthy enough to play on the weekend and trying to make up for lost practice time because you're injured. It wears on you because it's a stressful game as it is when you're a young player, not to mention when you get old and you're trying to deal with, can my body keep up with these young bucks? Oh, and by the way, um, I'm older, and I'm dealing with some injuries.
How does Joe Thomas describe the physical toll of playing in the NFL?
I'm dealing with some inadequacies because my body just isn't the way it used to be. So I totally understand it's hard for people to really wrap their minds around a guy who's so young, in his 20s, just signed with the Chicago Bears to retire. But everybody's body ages differently now. And it's hard to know what that beating was unless you're actually living inside of that person. So what is your first reaction then when you hear, you see the news that Drew Dallman, as you just pointed out, 27. I mean, and you mentioned it, you played 10 plus years in this league. He's younger, three years, $42 million. First reaction when you read that? I was surprised. I mean, it is very young, especially when you are just signing with a new team like you did last year with the Bears.
You would expect that like if a guy is going to retire, you're going to hear some whispers about, you know, he's thinking about it. He's dealing with offseason surgeries and he's struggling to come back. But really, it was all quiet on that front. I think it probably surprised the Bears almost as much as anybody. So it was definitely a shock. And Joe, I think you were probably the last generation of kids who grew up playing football without the concussion settlement that had happened with the NFL. I think that had come out probably when you were actually in your NFL career at that point. And I do think there was a wave of parents who said they were going to do things differently when it came to having their kids play like Pop Warner, for example, or playing high school football a little bit differently.
I can understand why that would be top of mind for any NFL player, just the danger of what this game can do to your brain day in and day out, knowing that earlier in their career and having that understanding for so long. What do you think? Yeah, it's definitely something that guys think about. One of my good friends from Wisconsin, Chris Borland, he played one year, had an amazing season with the San Francisco 49ers as a linebacker, and he decided to walk away because he didn't feel like it was worth risking the health of his brain and possible long-term repercussions of the daily beatings that you take when you're a lineman, when you're a linebacker, when you're one of those positions that –
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What are Joe Thomas's initial thoughts on Drew Dalman's retirement?
0:00–1:58
2
How does Joe Thomas describe the physical toll of playing in the NFL?
1:58–7:39
3
What mental challenges do NFL players face as they age?
7:39–10:45
4
Why is Drew Dalman's retirement surprising to Joe Thomas?
10:45–12:40
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