Borland walked away from the NFL this offseason. (USATSI)

Though the exclamation about the death of the NFL has simmered significantly in recent weeks, the reality of Chris Borland suddenly retiring from the league still lingers. Perhaps it wasn't as sudden as it seemed, with Borland apparently considering making a move as early as last October.

Dr. Harry Edwards, a consultant for the 49ers, joined "The Forum" for Wednesday's Jim Rome on Showtime and said he spoke with Borland "last October" about the young linebacker's concerns with CTE.

"I talked to Chris Borland going all the way back to last October. And it was already clear to me he was going to make some kind of a move," Edwards said. "I didn’t expect it to be that drastic or that soon. But he was very much concerned with the CTE and some of the other issues that are involved."

Not that Borland needed to, but apparently he declined to outright alert the team about his potential decision. (By all accounts the 49ers were surprised, especially with Borland stepping down after Patrick Willis retired.)

NFLPA president Eric Winston was also on the panel, and praised Borland for a decision that "took a lot of guts."

"From my point of view, it’s not about what it means for the NFL. It’s not about any of that," Winston said. "It’s what can we do to keep educating our guys. And I think at the end of the day our guys have to make the choice for themselves. They have to go out there with the education and information we’re giving them and make their own personal choice. I’m not saying it was the right choice or the wrong choice, but it was the right choice for him. 

"So I’m happy for him. I think it took a lot of guts. There’s a lot of guys who said ‘Oh I thought about it’ but didn’t pull the trigger but he went out there and pulled the trigger so I have to tip my hat to him."

Winston's point is a salient one -- it's easy to look at Borland's decision as a global issue for the NFL. The reality is every single player in the NFL isn't going to make the same decision based on the information presented.

Borland made the call he did based on what he understood. Others will do the same. Making sure the right information is in front of the players is paramount.