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Health of San Francisco 49ers’ Eric Reid in 2015 Will Determine His Career

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Eric Reid

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We’ve seen  it often in the NFL, and twice already this offseason for the San Francisco 49ers. Young players retiring their jerseys and ending their careers seemingly before they’ve even started.

The health of a player is the most important aspect of their game. Without health, talent can not be nourished and developed properly. The 49ers recently lost young Chris Borland and Anthony Davis due to their own health concerns, and the risks are no different for safety Eric Reid.

Reid was drafted by the 49ers in 2013 as the 18th overall pick of the draft. Coming out of Louisiana State where he had a productive and promising career, Reid impressed all and would go on to have a standout season with the 49ers and make the 2014 Pro-Bowl after recording an impressive four interceptions in his rookie year.

In the midst of all of his passes defended and interceptions however, Reid would sustain injuries. In only Week 2 of his NFL career, Reid suffered a concussion. This would not be his only concussion of the season, as later on in the year he would again take a hard hit to the head in a game against the Carolina Panthers. Last season Reid would again become concussed, marking his third injury to the head in only two NFL seasons.

The NFL continues to uncover more every year about the severity of mental and physical repercussions associated with concussions in the league. While Reid is not at the point of needing to retire yet, the media has speculated about his future with the NFL should the pattern of head injuries continue.

With training camp and the 2015 season approaching, management and Reid need to be concerned with the protection of his health. Reid is an impact player, and while the roster would certainly suffer without him, it would be a tragedy to see another player end what could have been a lucrative career.

The health and safety of Reid needs to be their main focus. If he were to sustain another serious injury to the head it could mean career suicide. Even if Reid chose not to retire it’s possible he may never reach his full potential or pay grade in the NFL and could walk around with a “fragile” or “injury prone” label on his head for many years to come.

The 49ers need Reid to be the standout player he was drafted to be, but they also need to play smart. If they don’t, they could do a tremendous amount of damage to the team as a whole, and more importantly to Reid as an individual.

Kelsey Kay is a San Francisco 49ers analyst for Rant Sports. Follow her on Twitter @kelseyykayyy, “Like” her on Facebook or add her to your network on Google.

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