Nick Chubb says his obsession with greatness costed him the ability to be present in life, and influenced his decision to retire “I didn’t listen to music. I kind of just liked being aware of my surroundings. I guess it sounds kind of corny, but I didn’t have headphones. I’d kind of be lost in my thoughts. During games, it was like a blackout. That’s why people say I didn’t talk on the sidelines. I didn’t, ’cause I was so locked in on what was ahead of me.” “It’s like I wasn’t even there. And I would snap out of it when we were winning or when the game was over, and I would just kind of come back to myself. So that’s kind of why I needed to stop playing football, because I was never present.” “Even in the offseason, I’d be at home, and I’m just thinking about, okay, tomorrow I need to go harder in the weight room. I need to run faster. I need to hit these numbers. I’m just always constantly, over and over, like, how can I get better? I want more. I want to do more. Just nonstop, just wanting to be the best and be my best and work hard.” “And I look up, like, 30 years old, and I’m like, okay, there’s some things in life that I haven’t accomplished or I haven’t done just being a human, not an athlete. So that kind of led to me wanting to stop, more than just my injuries. Just living my life, living the life that I want to live.”