By Jordan Long
The Buffalo Bills are one of the worst teams to the start of the 2018 NFL season. They dropped their first 2 games by a combined score of 78 to 23. In Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers, which the Bills lost 31-20, cornerback Vontae Davis decided he had enough. He went into the locker room and announced his retirement from the NFL at halftime.
Davis agreed to come to the Bills in the offseason. His deal was 1 year, worth $5 million. The Bills hoped he would enhance the secondary this season, one of the top against passing touchdowns last year giving up only 14.
It didn’t work out in week 1. Davis was a healthy scratch in the 47-3 blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens. He started on Sunday because the Bills needed help in the secondary. Rookie Taron Johnson was out because of a shoulder injury.
Davis didn’t do much against the Chargers. He played coverage but Chargers’ quarterback Philip Rivers never looked his way. Davis ended up with 1 tackle. The Chargers hit the halftime up 28-6, a game that they ended up winning.
Davis did something that an athlete should never do, retire at halftime. He basically quit on his teammates. According to ESPN, Bills’ Linebacker Lorenzo Alexander said, “Never have seen it ever. Pop Warner, high school, college, pros. Never heard of it. Never seen it. And it’s just completely disrespectful to his teammates. … He didn’t say nothing to nobody. … I found out going into the second half of the game. They said he’s not coming out, he retired. That’s it. “
Sure the Bills weren’t stopping the Chargers offense, but he needed to play the 2nd half. Who knows, maybe he could have come up with an interception or a fumble that might have turned the game around.
If Davis really felt that he shouldn’t be playing the game anymore, make the announcement after the game. During the game is not the appropriate time because it makes it feel like Davis was bigger than the team. This is not how a player wants to be remembered during his last NFL game.
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