Open Mic: Knowing When To Step Away

Will he stay or will he go? That's the question many are asking themselves as the Brett Favre saga unfolds.

Favre is no exception to the trend that seems to be emerging: professional athletes finding it hard to leave sports behind.

It's understandable when they've had a competitive fire in them that's driven them all their lives and has helped them make a living.

Whether it's football, racing or any other sport, it's not easy for them to suddenly blend into society. After all, as most of them say, they're not trained to do anything else.

Some athletes find it hard to walk away without being crowned a champion in their sport; it brings them back again and again. They all believe they have something left.

Jerome Bettis couldn't walk away without going to the Super Bowl and walking out with the Lombardi trophy. Plus it didn't hurt that the big game would be played in his hometown of Detroit.

In 2005, Bettis announced that he was considering retirement but quarterback Ben Roethlisberger convinced The Bus to stay for one final season on the promise of bringing the Steelers to the Super Bowl.

He did. And by the end of Superbowl XL, Bettis accomplished both of his goals: to be a Superbowl champion and to retire on top of his game.

Maybe this is the reason Donovan McNabb hasn't called it quits. It's well-documented that McNabb has not been playing at top level, and there were rumors that he was leaving the Philadelphia organization. However, McNabb leaving the organization is not going to solve the problem, so it's time for him to bid farewell to the NFL.

Not since 2003 has McNabb played a full season without incident. Last season, he watched A.J. Feeley try to guide the Eagles into the playoffs as he sat sidelined with a knee injury.

But every pre-season he does more running his mouth about the Eagles being the team to beat than running plays.

If McNabb keeps getting hurt and it keeps becoming an issue about playing time, he may need to sit back and realize that this is his body's way of saying stop.

Plus, the Philadelphia Eagles fans don't want to deal with the drama year after year. They want wins, and so far that's not what's happening.

So when should an athlete retire? Many believe when you hit a certain age it's time to hit the rocking chair.

However, NASCAR driver Mark Martin is proving that age has nothing to do with it. At age 49, Martin is still running in NASCAR's top series and he's doing it competitively which probably contributes to why he is still racing and not sitting at home.

Plus, Martin announced he would be driving full time in 2009 for Rick Hendrick. "It just was an opportunity that I absolutely couldn't let it go by," Martin said. "At this point in my life, I was very concerned about regretting it for the rest of my life."

It's a lot harder to leave the game when you're doing well.

Or maybe not.

While Mark Martin is still running competitively, one driver who isn't is Kyle Petty. If Donovan McNabb should retire because injury is preventing him from being competitive, than Petty needs to retire because his performance is just plain pitiful. He hasn't won a race since 1995, and he hasn't challenged or run well since that time.

Recently he has stepped out of his car and has let Terry Labonte drive it in hopes of improving the performance. What Kyle needs to do is stay out of the car permanently.

He's doing more harm than good to both his team, Petty Enterprises, and his reputation. Kyle Petty fans don't want to remember these unsuccessful years where their driver is struggling to make the field each Sunday.

Sometimes athletes don't need to go out on top, they just need to know when to go. That's what I respect the most. It's easier and better to bow out gracefully then to keep hanging on when there's nothing left.

Only time will tell if Mark Martin made the right decision, but so far so good. Driving for Hendrick Motorsports will give him one last chance to capture the Sprint Cup Championship.

Brett Favre has shown us that professional athletes have a hard time leaving their respective sport and attempting to do something else. When it's all you know and suddenly it's gone, the athlete is lost or may eventually come out of retirement.

But that's another story.