I wish this was satire.

After being a Baltimore Raven for just one day, inside linebacker Paul Worrilow has decided to retire at the age of 29, per the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Here I am, on a Saturday morning, writing this, pinching myself to make sure I’m actually awake, and not dreaming. Just yesterday, I was talking on the Nest Talk podcast, about how Worrilow could actually emerge as the starting inside linebacker. And here we are today, less than 24 hours later, and Worrilow is gone. Gone not to injury or tragedy, but to a voluntary exit. Worrilow did not even have time to learn the names of his teammates and coaches.

The Worrilow debacle is an embarrassing moment. On one hand, the Ravens thought they were adding an important piece to a thin inside linebacker corps hit by injury and come out empty. On the other hand, Paul Worrilow gave his word to a team that believed in him and promptly rendered it worthless. Worrilow obviously had other things on his mind when he “committed” to the Ravens, and his swift departure on a flip-flop whim leads one to wonder if he could have ever succeeded in Baltimore. Football is a game of toughness and grit. It demands a strong mental will from all who dare to play it. Worrilow would be unable to provide that with the idea of retirement hovering in the back of his mind.

The Ravens now need to find a replacement for Worrilow, but with the preseason closing in less than a week, any player they add at this point will be given little opportunity to make the roster. Baltimore’s only chance to find a worthwhile talent for the roster would be to add a player at a position of need. Whether that be inside linebacker, or a position where the Ravens are looking for extra depth, is yet to be known.

UPDATE

According to Jamison Hensley of ESPN, Worrilow retired to spend time with his 8-month pregnant and bedridden wife. It is noble for him to do this, but the plan was ill thought out, as he could have made this decision days ago, before even talking with the Ravens.

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