Malcolm Mitchell apparently retired

[Patriot Missile]

“To be a football God for but just one game.”

So instrumental in that miraculous game. Though his career was short lived, I still can’t think of that Atlanta game without his career game on the biggest stage. Everyone had to play perfect after 28-3 and he did his part.

Good luck and know you still have a lot of fans here in New England Mr Mitchell.

 

[aluminum seats]

Is there another player in history to have only played on Super Bowl winning teams?

Joe Thuney is thatclose to being on a really crazy run...

 

[Joey007]

Ohhh what could have been.

 

[Snooky97]

Does anyone know if he qualifies for the NFL healthcare and pension?

 

[Wingy]

Not surprised, and so unfortunate for MM. Quickly took notice of him when it was obvious TB had confidence in him as a rookie. If he were healthy, and still on our roster, I'd be waaaaaay less concerned about our WR depth. Best of luck to him.

 

[TheBostonStraggler]

Not surprised. A thread from a few months ago talked about his attempt to get back. You had to love his determination but unfortunately the grueling life in the NFL requires a very high level of physical body health. MM's body just had sustained too many severe injuries.

While sadly cut short, being a SB hero is a hell of a career achievement. Only a few dozen over the span of 50 years can lay claim to that. And now hopefully MM is onto a new career chapter doing something he likes doing. Having a job you like to do(and aptly pays the bills) is one of the mt everest of life achievements.

 

[TheBostonStraggler]

Does anyone know if he qualifies for the NFL healthcare and pension?

I believe 3 years in the NFL gets you a modest annual payment starting at age 50. The longer you're in the league the more the payment goes beyond modest.

I could be a bit off about the exact years and exact age but I think it's in the ballpark. And there may be other payment forms beyond that "retirement age" payment.

 

[1960Pats]

I believe 3 years in the NFL gets you a modest annual payment starting at age 50. The longer you're in the league the more the payment goes beyond modest.

I could be a bit off about the exact years and exact age but I think it's in the ballpark. And there may be other payment forms beyond that "retirement age" payment.

I have a friend who was a backup player in the NFL for 5 years. The last time we talked about it he said that his retirement was based on his salary and he could collect it at age 45, 50 0r 55 and the amount would increase the later he took it.

 

[Kontradiction]

Even when BB finally nails a WR draft pick, it still doesn’t end up working out haha. Like others said, great player for the short time we had him but a better person.

I think Mitchell worked out just fine. Obviously you would prefer him to be here longer but, given things like draft position and his injury history, his “clutchness” in a Super Bowl that we don’t win without some of those catches he made makes the pick a solid one. He was an injury risk from the get-go though. So he wasn’t a home run of a pick by any stretch. He’d have to have a longer, productive career for that to happen. But he contributed mightily to a Super Bowl win. That’s a solid pick.

 

[Tunescribe]

I believe 3 years in the NFL gets you a modest annual payment starting at age 50. The longer you're in the league the more the payment goes beyond modest.

I thought players needed a full five years to receive a league pension but perhaps it's changed.

 

[luuked]

I don't say it often but this is really sad:



You can see how much it meant to him to be on the field. I know ****ty things happen to good people everyday and on big scale of things it is "just" retirement (i.e. "nobody died") but still.. sometimes life just sucks and whether it is for trivial reasons or something really serious the emotions you feel are often all the same as you go through them.

 

[RobertWeathers]

I don't say it often but this is really sad:



You can see how much it meant to him to be on the field. I know ****ty things happen to good people everyday and on big scale of things it is "just" retirement (i.e. "nobody died") but still.. sometimes life just sucks and whether it is for trivial reasons or something really serious the emotions you feel are often all the same as you go through them.

Seeing someone unable to live out their dream is downright painful.

I hope he realizes he has more to offer to this world than catching passes.

 

[Nikolai]

Found out one of the soldiers here went to high school with Malcolm Mitchell. Said he was one hell of a player and a stand up guy; they have a Malcolm Mitchell Day in Valdosta, GA.

It was cool to hear some stories about him, but a damned shame too because his career could have been pretty big time.

 

[n1997y]

Reiss wrote a good bit about MM, link was up on the BSPN NFL front page for awhile. Worth the read.

I just evaluated my self-worth off the field, and for a long time it never surpassed what I could do on the field. Then, I think being here doing stuff in the community, it started to shift. My self-worth and what I think I can deliver creatively and inspirationally began to surpass -- not monetarily by any means; football pays so much -- the legacy of what I could accomplish as a football player dealing with the injuries that I had.

Ex-Pats WR Mitchell: More work to do post-NFL