Ex-Raven Monroe decides to walk away from NFL

Just over a month after being released by the Ravens, veteran offensive tackle Eugene Monroe is retiring from the NFL.
On Thursday, the 29-year-old announced he was walking away from football after seven NFL seasons. Injuries limited Monroe to just 17 games over the last season, which prompted Baltimore to select Notre Dame left tackle Ronnie Stanley with the sixth overall pick in April’s draft.
“I still have the physical ability to play at a very high level, so I know that my decision to retire may be puzzling to some,” Monroe wrote in The Players’ Tribune. “But I am thinking of my family first right now — and my health and my future.”
After becoming an outspoken advocate this offseason for the use of medical marijuana to manage pain as well as to combat chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), Monroe was released on June 15 as the Ravens were preparing to start Stanley and did not want to pay the oft-injured veteran $6.5 million to be a backup in 2016. Baltimore’s decision to cut Monroe drew criticism from those believing it was a response to his views on medical marijuana, but his retirement certainly appears to reinforce the opinions of those who questioned his desire to continue playing as he criticized both the NFL and the Ravens this offseason.
Monroe said in his retirement announcement that he will continue to support the use of medical marijuana in hopes of fighting the use of opioids in NFL locker rooms.
The 2009 first-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars thanked the Ravens for giving him the opportunity to play for a contender as well as bringing him closer to his family. The Plainfield, N.J. native attended the University of Virginia.