As time wears on, awareness about concussions and their after-effects on professional football players has become more and more prevalent. And while other teams have been affected by young players stepping away from the game prematurely, the Buffalo Bills haven't seen one of their young players retire.
That is -- until now.
On Wednesday evening Bills linebacker A.J. Tarpley, who spent his first NFL season with the Bills after going undrafted out of Stanford, announced his retirement from the NFL. In his post on Instagram, Tarpley cited the fact that he suffered his third and fourth concussions of his career, and has proactively decided to step away from the game.
Here is Tarpley's post in full:
