So… About That Asher Allen Fella…
Earlier this offseason I predicted that cornerback Asher Allen, a 2009 third round selection out of Georgia, would not be on the opening day roster in 2012.
What I didn’t predict: That it would be his choice.
By now, (I know, I know, I’m late on this… Happy Memorial Day everybody!) most of you have heard that Asher Allen informed the Vikings last Thursday that he will be retiring from football after having played three seasons with the team.
At age 24, the decision is a curious one, but Leslie Frazier thinks that in time Allen will explain that decision in full. As of right now, however, both the team and the player are leaving it up to us to speculate as to the reasons why he retired.
“He’ll talk about it more at some point, but he explained to me that this was something he wanted to do. He had given it a lot of thought and that’s what he wanted to do,” Frazier said when he announced Allen’s decision on Wednesday.
With an onslaught of concussion coverage plaguing our normal enjoyment of the NFL these days, it is reasonable to suspect that Allen had worries about his life after football. Allen has suffered two known concussions in his three year career, including one in week 15 of last season.
“Surprised. I didn’t see that coming,” admitted Frazier, “but everybody has to make decisions that are best for them.”
While I was admittedly not sold on Allen as any sort of reliable option at the corner position, he had plenty of supporters that were hopeful he would break out in 2012, and now we will never know the extent to which he could have produced on the NFL stage.