This past July, NFL running back Arian Foster agreed to a one-year deal with the Miami Dolphins during a deal that he called “the new chapter of my life.” The deal was calculated to be worth $1.5 million and included incentives that could bring its total value to a maximum of $3.5 million. Foster, 30, is a four-time Pro Bowl running back.
“They’re a young team, a hungry team,” Foster said after the Dolphins officially announced the signing. “[They have] a lot of talent on both sides of the ball. I think they have the right head coach and the right people in the front office. They’re all committed to winning there.”
On Monday night, Oct. 24, he announced he’s retiring, effective immediately. Yes, it’s midseason.
Foster has a history of injuries. Since he joined the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2009, he had two significant injuries. He suffered a torn groin in training camp that caused him to miss three games. He returned for four games, but then suffered a torn right Achilles’ tendon in the final five minutes against the Dolphins on Oct. 25, 2015. ESPN reported the starter has also had a torn meniscus, multiple hamstring injuries, a knee injury, a back injury that required surgery, a minor groin injury, a major groin injury and a torn Achilles’ tendon. Foster spent his first seven seasons with the Houston Texans and was the franchise’s all-time rushing leader before they released him.
In a letter Foster published on ESPN’s “The Undefeated,” he writes:
“This game has been everything to me … my therapy, my joy, my solace and my enemy.
“I’ve learned to love every facet of this game, from the peak of accomplishment to the gutter of criticism.
“There comes a time in every athlete’s career when their ambition and their body are no longer on the same page. I’ve reached that point.
“My father always said, ‘You’ll know when it’s time to walk away.’ It has never been more clear than right now. I’m walking away with peace.
“I know it is not commonplace to do it midseason but my body just can’t take the punishment this game asks for any longer.”
