The Baltimore Ravens don't have to worry about giving Rolando McClaina second chance following his April disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. The trouble-prone linebacker is walking away from the game at age 23.
"Rolando let me know that he plans to retire from the NFL," Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said Wednesday. "We have placed him on the Reserve/Retired list."
It's a strange but somehow fitting end to a rocky career for McClain, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2010 draft. Newsome, an Alabama alum, seemed determined to give the former Crimson Tide star a chance for a fresh start, but McClain packed it in when faced with the possibility of a suspension or eventual release.
The Ravens can move forward with second-rounder Arthur Brown and veteran Jameel McClain at inside linebacker without the gnawing anxiety of Rolando's off-field antics and on-field apathy.
The last of late Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis' first-round picks, McClain was a Davis outlier as a speed-challenged linebacker. If this truly is the end, McClain will finish his NFL career with 274 tackles and 6.5 sacks in 41 career games with the Raiders.
Symbolic of Davis' draft reaches over his final decade running the Raiders, McClain had more arrests in Decatur, Ala. (three) than forced fumbles (one) in his three years with the club. He arguably was the least effective 4-3 middle linebacker in the NFL last season before his late-season suspension for insubordination.
For the good of McClain and the citizens of Alabama, let's hope he stays away from Decatur now that he's got nothing but free time.
Follow Chris Wesseling on Twitter *@ChrisWesseling.*
