Over the weekend, a rumor broke that San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman Anthony Davis was set to abruptly retire for the second time in as many years. Davis was not present for practice on Saturday, but ultimately he returned on Sunday.
When asked about the strange situation, head coach Chip Kelly’s response was far from clarifying.
“It was just a miscommunication,” Kelly said, via Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area. “I had a long talk with Anthony on Saturday and everything has been ironed out. He’s good to go.
“It was a miscommunication between myself and Anthony and we don’t have a miscommunication any longer.”
What we have here is failure to communicate.
One wonders what really was going on with Davis.
Clearly, something happened. When the rumor broke that he was at least contemplating retirement again, the 49ers were reportedly trying to convince him to change his mind.
Whatever the case may be, he’s back now.
Davis managed to get into the Monday Night Football game against the Los Angeles Rams for three plays when Colin Kaepernick came out for the team’s final possession in the 28-0 blowout victory.
When fully committed to the game, Davis is one of the premier offensive linemen in the NFL. He was playing at an All-Pro level the season before he retired, and he looked great in preseason games.
One wonders if we’ve heard the last of this retirement talk from Davis, or if there will be a third act to this strange play.