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Browns rookie RB LJ Scott quits football

By Bryan Perez

PISCATAWAY, NJ - OCTOBER 10: LJ Scott #3 of the Michigan State Spartans looks on from the bench in the final seconds of the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on October 10, 2015 at High Point Solutions Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey.The Michigan State Spartans defeated the Rutgers Scarlet Knights 31-24. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
PISCATAWAY, NJ - OCTOBER 10: LJ Scott #3 of the Michigan State Spartans looks on from the bench in the final seconds of the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on October 10, 2015 at High Point Solutions Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey.The Michigan State Spartans defeated the Rutgers Scarlet Knights 31-24. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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Cleveland Browns rookie running back LJ Scott was a no-show at the team’s OTA sessions this week after deciding to quit the NFL.

Life of a professional football player isn’t easy, and the road to a successful career is even more difficult for players who enter the NFL as an undrafted free agent. There are more lows than highs, and some guys just aren’t cut out for it.

Sometimes, players just lose the love for the game and decide it’s time to walk away, even when an opportunity to make life-changing money is within reach.

For Browns rookie running back LJ Scott, it took just a few OTA sessions for him to decide pro football wasn’t for him. He quit.

Scott was signed by Cleveland as an undrafted free agent and his chances of making the final roster were slim at best. With Nick Chubb, Duke Johnson and Kareem Hunt locks for the final 53 (even though Hunt is facing a lengthy suspension), the odds Scott would’ve played well enough in the preseason to make anything more than the practice squad were stacked against him.

Scott looked like he was on the verge of becoming one of the country’s top running backs early in his career at Michigan State. He had 994 yards and six touchdowns as a sophomore in 2016 and averaged 5.4 yards per carry that year. But he never seemed to take that next step in his development and managed a total of just 1,162 yards and eight scores in 2017 and 2018 combined.

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Still, at 6-0 and 227 pounds, Scott could’ve carved out a short-yardage role in the NFL even if it wasn’t with the Browns. Sometimes, players don’t realize how valuable preseason tape is for their pro future. Had he decided to stick around a little longer, he may have made some splash plays this summer and created a better opportunity for himself.

We’ll never know.

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