Grit (HBR Emotional Intelligence Series)

6

When to Grit—and When to Quit

By André Spicer

When Vontae Davis walked off the football field at halftime in 2018, the Buffalo Bills were down 28-6 to the Los Angeles Chargers. But instead of regrouping with teammates, the Bills cornerback quit football entirely, right then and there. Later that evening, Davis announced his retirement on social media, saying “. . . today on the field, reality hit me hard and fast: I shouldn’t be out there anymore.” Many were outraged, including Bills linebacker Lorenzo Alexander: “It’s just completely disrespectful to his teammates.” But some disagreed, saying Davis was “a goddamn working class hero.”¹

While unorthodox, Davis’s abrupt midgame retirement sparked strong emotions for a variety of reasons, including ...