Champ Bailey ‘scared’ that concussion-prone Wes Welker wants to play
Champ Bailey has the utmost respect for Wes Welker, it appears. Which is why Bailey, who retired prior to last season, would like to see Welker do the same.
Why? Concussions. Welker has a documented history of them — Bailey has witness some of it when they were Denver Broncos teammates — and yet has said he wants to play in 2015. Bailey told Fox Sports’ Peter Schrager (h/t PFT) that he’d like to see Welker, 34, stand down for his own health and safety.
“I don’t want Wes to play for my own personal reasons. I’ve seen him get concussions. It scares me,” Bailey said.
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Football-wise, Welker is capable of playing, Bailey said. But health-wise?
“I think he can still play, but I don’t want him to play because of these concussions. This thing is no joke,” Bailey said. “It’s a serious thing when you start talking about your head. And for him to have to worry about that at a young age that he is now, he has to think about that for years to come and I just hope he hangs it up.”
Welker has made it no secret he wants at least one more crack at playing, and it’s possibly his desire to win a rin — Welker lost in the Super Bowl three times: twice with the New England Patriots, once with the Broncos — that drives him to give it another shot. Welker visited the Miami Dolphins this offseason and has appeared on Boston radio, hinting he very much would be open to a return to New England with his longtime friend Tom Brady.
Bailey remains concerned, though.
“I understand why he has that desire to play, he wants the ring,” Bailey said. “He still has that hunger, I just don’t want to see it.”
Another potential motivation: Welker stands currently at 9,822 receiving yards, just short of the vaunted 10,000-yard mark that only 44 NFL players ever have reached. Welker had an incredible six-year run in New England when he averaged 112 receptions (and led the league three times in that category) and 1,243 yards from 2007 to 2012, establishing himself as perhaps the best slot receiver of his generation. He also caboosed that with two solid years with the Broncos, including a 10-TD season in 2013, the past two seasons.
But with multiple documented concussions (plus who knows how many undocumented ones, along with countless sub-concussive hits), the scrappy, undersized receiver might not hold up long. Bailey believes that retirement might be the best option for his friend, and we can’t say we disagree. Knowing when to hang it up is one of the toughest decisions for any player, much less one who willed his way into becoming a fantastic NFL receiver against all odds.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm
