a frequent poster on our site, who frequents the texans' official board, said it came from boselli's brother-in-law. an announcement is expected soon. again, per the sibling-in-law.
damn, that's rough - he was a great player when he was healthy and it always sucks to see someone have their career ended by injury.
so what does that do for our cap space? Does it clear out a nice chunk? Or will we have to carry this winners baggage for years?
Well, that was the chance they took on that guy. They knew his history and they rolled the dice......and came up empty. Sorry Texan fans. In the words of Bill Clinton, "I feel your pain....."
boselli worked his ass off trying to comeback. I wish him nothing but the best in the future. What seemed like a regular labrum surgery was completely f**ked up by the Jacksonville doctors.
If true, this is some ****ty, ****ty news. I let myself get my hopes up that he might come back and be at least serviceable. Maybe some of the guys we drafted this year will surprise...though I doubt it.
I think Fox 26 has the story now! Thanks for all of your work Boss. Good luck with whatever you do next.
and i thought the texans offensive line would be much improved when boselli comes back...mcnair has to spend big money on the offensive line now if the team wants to improve on last years record.
I think what we're all forgetting that no matter what, football is still a game. And now a man who busted his ass to get back to the game he loves is retiring. Lets all show a little compassion and quit calling him a b*stard, or saying how down we are, imagine how he feels. Bamaslammer is right, the Texans knew his injury history and rolled the dice. Unfortunately it didn't pan out. I wish Boselli the best and hopefully he will remain with the team in a line coach-type capacity. Good luck Tony and God bless.
Fox is reporting this now. I'd say it's a done deal. Boselli has been a good guy, and this is really unfortunate for both he and the Texans. I wonder if he's interested in hanging around as a coach?
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/1996454 July 15, 2003, 11:13PM Boselli expected to retire Texans tackle unable to come back from surgeries By CARLTON THOMPSON Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle Texans five-time Pro Bowl offensive left tackle Tony Boselli has been contemplating retirement and is expected to announce the end of his eight-year career by the end of the week, sources told the Chronicle on Tuesday night. Boselli, 31, declined comment when reached at his home Tuesday night, and Texans general manager Charley Casserly was unavailable. The decision to quit would end Boselli's bid to return to the playing field after sitting out almost two years because of three operations on his left shoulder. The Texans used their first pick in the 2002 expansion draft on Boselli, who had played in just three games the previous season for Jacksonville, and he missed the Texans' inaugural season. Members of the Texans' front office, coaches, trainers and medical staff were optimistic Boselli would make a successful comeback in 2003, but all indications are it will not happen. Boselli took a big step in his recovery by participating in the team's offseason program, which included a three-day minicamp and 14 on-field coaching sessions, but he was unable to participate fully. Both sides agreed Boselli would see how he felt prior to reporting to training camp before deciding on his future. Strength and range of motion were the key concerns about Boselli's left shoulder, which was operated on once in Jacksonville and twice after the expansion draft. The Texans examined Boselli's medical history prior to the expansion draft and were convinced he would play in 2002, but he was only able to practice once. He was placed on injured reserve in October, officially bringing his comeback bid to an end. Selecting Boselli, 6-7 and 322 pounds, in the expansion draft was a costly risk for the Texans considering his injury status, but the decision was a calculated one. According to sources, the Texans struck a three-player deal with Jacksonville that also allowed them to draft Pro Bowl defensive end Gary Walker and nose tackle Seth Payne, both of whom started every game in 2002. Boselli counted $7.55 million against the Texans' salary cap in 2002, but he initiated negotiations to lower his base salary to $655,000 in 2003. As a result, he will count only $3.05 million against the cap this season and an additional $3.05 million in 2004. If Boselli had played in 2004, his cap hit would have been $8.05 million. Coach Dom Capers and staff hoped a healthy Boselli would assume his familiar post at left tackle, but the team still has options. Chester Pitts started all 16 games at left tackle last season, allowing 12 sacks, a respectable total for a rookie. Boselli's retirement would force the Texans to rethink the alignment of their front five, but several contingency plans were in the works. Zach Wiegert likely will shift to right tackle, the position intended for Pitts. Greg Randall also could work into the mix at right tackle. Steve McKinney is set at center, and the two guard spots will be up for grabs between Fred Weary, Milford Brown, Ryan Schau and Todd Washington. When healthy, Boselli was considered the premier left offensive tackle in the NFL. He allowed just 15 1/2 sacks in seven seasons with the Jags, who made him the second selection of the 1995 draft. BOSELLI'S INJURIES • 2003 -- Decides to retire in July at age 31, cutting short comeback from shoulder injury that sidelined him the Texans' entire first season. • 2002 -- Placed on injured reserve by the Texans on Oct. 15. • 2001 -- Started three games for Jacksonville before being placed on injured reserve Oct. 22. Had surgery on both shoulders. • 1999 -- Suffered a torn ACL in his right knee in the season finale against Cincinnati on Jan. 2 and missed two playoff games. • 1998 -- Missed one game (Dec. 6 against Detroit) with a sprained ankle. • 1997 -- Missed four games with a high ankle sprain. • 1995 -- Missed entire preseason as a rookie after injuring his left knee in training camp. Made NFL debut Sept. 24.
Damn Boss. Never got to see you play in a Texans uni. Too bad, you would've turned that pathetic O-Line around, probably would have made Carr a 2nd year superstar. Best wishes in whatever you do. You can't be bitter that the Texans took a risk in taking this guy in the expansion draft. The potential was there for him to come back from injuries and play a monster role in helping this team establish itself. He would've protected Carr and helped him progress. The gamble didn't pan out, and we should all tip our caps to a great athlete whose career was cut short by injuries.
You have to feel for this guy. It kind of reminds me of the Grant Hill situation, where a superstar player can never fully recover from injuries and surgeries. I remember going to the Cincinnatti game and seeing Boselli working out before the game. He definitely worked his ass off trying to get back. No doubt Boselli is a class guy. By initiating a lower salary to help the Texans out against the cap, he did something a lot of other people would not have done. Hopefully he will be given the opportunity to stay with the team if he so desires, as a lineman coach or something.
Exactly he helped the team out. He was a great player and good guy. Sorry he didn't work out for the Texans but you guys took the chance on him, so it's not his fault he has to retire.
He didn't play last year. What makes you think they can't improve on their record from last year with him not playing again? The OL will be better regardless.
All we lost is some money. I doubt we made a deal with Jacksonville either. Oh well. You can't lose what you never had. That's the way I look at it.
Since Houston was the only team picking, the pick was irrelevant. Houston knew his history prior to selecting him. The NFL owes the Texans nothing.
