Former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin is not having any regrets about deciding to hang up the cleats after last season.
“No,” Baldwin said via ESPN. “I'm done with football.”
One of the big reasons that Baldin doesn't have any regrets is because it's not something that he rushed into. Baldwin said that he actually started thinking about when the end would be after his second year in the league. All the injuries suffered over the last couple of years made it easier last season to decide that his time in the league was over.
“It was a process longer than just last year,” Baldwin told ESPN.com on Monday. “I think when you come into the NFL or any entertainment business as a young person, you have to be selfish, you have to be self-centered because it's all about self-preservation in that arena.”
Baldwin said one of the issues that athletes have is they think they are actually invincible, but the former All-Pro quickly learned that wasn't the case.
“I'm not saying this is the general population of athletes and entertainers, but I think a lot of us struggle with the concept of having a god complex, thinking that we're invincible and that we're immortal in some ways, and when you start to come to grips with the reality of being mortal and knowing that this is all going to come to an end at some point, you start to see the world differently. Perspective changes. I've been going through that process for a number of years. It actually started my second year in the NFL, understanding that eventually there's got to be a plan.”
Last season Baldwin missed three games because of injuries but was in pain most of the rest of the year, trying to fight through injuries to both knees, his shoulder, his elbow, and his groin.
As the months go on, Baldwin could get an itch to come back and play again, but for right now, he is happy being away from the field.
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