Eskimos' 2016 draft pick Doug Corby retires at 22
[b]There's been a remarkable flood of young CFL and NFL players retiring lately, including former NFL safety Walter Thurmond walking away at 28 Tuesday.
Still, the news that Edmonton Eskimos' receiver Doug Corby has retired at 22 is particularly surprising, especially considering that he was just drafted, seemed to have a ton of CFL potential, had been in camp for less than a week (rookie camps opened last Wednesday, full camps opened Sunday) and had never played a professional game.
According to Eskimos' head coach Jason Maas, Corby didn't feel like continuing in football.
Corby didn't return a request for comment by the time this piece was published, so we don't know exactly why he left, but he's certainly not the only player to walk away from football young.
Corby seemed to be a great CFL prospect, too, so this is a significant blow for the Eskimos. He had a great university career at Queen's, and led all of Ontario University Athletics with 19.3 yards per catch last season; he also put up the best 40-yard-dash at this year's CFL Combine, recording a time of 4.505 seconds.
That speed and big-play ability is rare for a Canadian receiver, making him a very valuable CFL commodity. (He was also one that even drew some NFL interest, attending a New York Giants' minicamp with several other CIS players.)
We don't know why Corby walked away, but if it was to pursue opportunities outside of football, that might be more evidence that the CFL needs to look at boosting its lower-level salaries.
The minimum salary in 2016 is $52,000, and while that's not bad by the standards of the general population (especially for a job that mostly runs from May through November; players need to train and stay in shape in the offseason and attend occasional team activities, but that's not a full-time pursuit), it's a long way from the millions many professional athletes make.
Football's also an extremely punishing game that can have negative effects on the rest of your life, from concussions, knee or back injuries, or other wounds, so it isn't unreasonable to see some guys walking away young.[/b]
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