Vontae Davis quit the NFL at halftime (Article)

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His mind had finally caught up with his body. Mentally, he was finished. Most athletes who come to this realization have their "aha" moment somewhere in private, but Davis' was happening right there on the sideline. He felt scared and vulnerable, and he wasn't sure what to do -- all he knew was that he couldn't return to the field. He needed to get away. "I'm done," he told his defensive coordinator, who wasn't sure what Davis was talking about. The team chaplain followed him into the locker room, thinking he was injured, but Davis just kept repeating those same words.

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Meanwhile, 375 miles away in D.C., where his Redskins were playing the Colts, Vernon had just entered the locker room at halftime. He saw a missed call from his brother, which was odd -- they never called each other during games. So he called back and asked if everything was OK. "I'm calling to let you know that I'm retired," Vontae said. Vernon's heart sank. "Are you serious, or are you joking?" " ... I'm tired," Vontae said.

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"Damn! You just left the stadium!" she said, and as she kept laughing, Davis started to laugh too. "I'm never going to hear the end of this," he said.

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"I feel free like a bird," he said, and with that, she grabbed a bottle of their favorite tequila, Don Julio 1942, and the only juice they had in the refrigerator, orange, and poured them each a heavy glass.

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Vontae Davis arrived at training camp two weeks early, eager to learn the playbook and meet his new coaches. He'd soak in the hot tub before practice and in the cold tub after, earning himself the nickname "Old Man" from some of his teammates. But his camp wasn't great. He was always a step or two too slow, and his preseason play was inconsistent. One day, following a long practice, Megan found him sitting alone in their bedroom. He was quiet, his eyes fixed on the window. "I'm so f---ing tired," he said, in a way she'd never heard from him before. She sat next to him on the bed, choosing her words carefully. "'Tae, you know you don't really have to do this," she said. He looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?" "You don't have to play football anymore. You don't have to keep putting your body through this every week." Davis looked at her. "I just need to prove to myself that I can't do it anymore." Three weeks later, he walked off a football field for the last time.

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