When Bills CB Vontae Davis infamously retired at halftime during an NFL game
Vontae Davis did something that most NFL players never thought of doing back in Week 2 of the 2018 season: retire at halftime of a game. The former Buffalo Bills cornerback unceremoniously called it a career when the Bills were down 28-6 at halftime against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Davis explained to ESPN's "The Undefeated" why he decided to hang up the cleats when there was another half to play:
"Leaving was therapeutic. I left everything the league wanted me to be, playing for my teammates while injured, the gladiator mentality, it all just popped. And when it popped, I just wanted to leave it all behind.
"So that's why I don't care what people say. That experience was personal and not meant for anyone else to understand. It was me cold turkey leaving behind an identity that I carried with me for so long."
Vontae Davis stated in the same interview that he knew when decided to retire. It came with 47 seconds left in the first half of the game versus the Chargers. He went to Bills defensive backs coach John Butler about him being done playing:
"I went to the bench after that series and it just hit me. I don't belong on that field anymore... My intention was not to hurt my teammates."
Despite his sudden retirement, the cornerback had a solid career in the NFL with great success.
Vontae Davis and his solid career in the NFL
Vontae Davis was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in 2009 out of Illinois. He spent the first three seasons of his career with the Dolphins before being traded to the Indianapolis Colts.
With the Colts, he became a two-time Pro Bowl player in his six seasons with the franchise. In the 2017 season, Vontae Davis missed 11 games with a nearly career-ending groin injury.
His career with the Buffalo Bills lasted all but one-and-a-half games. Overall, Davis accumulated 395 tackles, 22 interceptions, and 10 tackles for loss in 121 career games in the NFL.
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