The athlete who hung around too long is a familiar trope. Unable to say goodbye to the game because they can’t admit that they no longer have what it takes, or too frightened of what life after sports holds to let go, so they linger. And then there’s the athlete who didn’t get to play long enough to reach his full potential. These are the heart-breakers, the what-ifs. Sports lore is littered with the tales of these bests-that-never-were. In recent years another model of careers ending at the wrong time has emerged; the player deemed so toxic that he finds himself involuntarily retired despite retaining the ability to contribute at the professional level. Read more...