Rolando McClain is walking away from football again.
The 24-year-old linebacker has reportedly decided to retire again, according to ESPN’s Seth Wickersham.
The decision comes just four days after the Ravens reinstated McClain from the reserve/retired list, allowing him to participate in the voluntary offseason program that opened Monday.
"I gotta follow my heart," McClain reportedly wrote to Wickersham in a text. "It ain't football. If football made me complete I would play. But whenever I think of it my heart pulls me away from whatever reason. ... This means I'm done."
McClain retweeted Wickersham about the news, and also added, "The day 'I' start living for other people will be the day I die. You only get one life, and only God can judge u for what you did with it."
This is the second time that McClain has retired in less than a year. He first walked away from the game last May after signing a one-year contract with the Ravens, and used the year away from the game to focus on getting his life in order off the football field.
He told reporters during that time off that he made strides in his personal life, and that he had a renewed interest in playing football. McClain said that he hoped to return for the 2014 season, and wanted to play for the Ravens.
His road back to the football field hit a bump last week when he struggled during a private workout with the Ravens, and quit during his conditioning test. Despite that workout, the Ravens' decision to reinstate him from the reserve/retired list cleared the way for him to participate in the voluntary offseason program.
Instead, McClain has opted to turn down the opportunity with the Ravens.
