Those Close to Young Voicing Concerns

No one is saying it to his face, but family and friends of San Francisco 49er quarterback Steve Young say it might be time for him to retire.

LaVell Edwards, Young’s coach at Brigham Young from 1980-83, saw a fit and energetic Young working out on campus this summer.

“I would have said a definite no to any retirement talk,” Edwards told The Salt Lake Tribune, which reported his and Young’s family members’ comments. “But to have another concussion so quickly in the season may leave retirement more of a reality for him now. Steve is no dummy. One thing I know is he won’t do anything foolish.”

Young, 36, was kneed in the head in Sunday’s opening loss at Tampa Bay, his third concussion in 10 months. He will sit out Sunday’s game at St. Louis but intends to resume playing next week.

Steve’s brother, Mike Young, a former backup quarterback at BYU and now a physician in American Fork, Utah, has mixed emotions.

“As a doctor, this is a very scary thing,” he said. “He should consider letting [his NFL career] go. But as a brother, I know how competitive he is and how much he loves to play the game.”