Horse Racing Could Quench Welker’s Competitive Thirst After Football

Wes Welker presenting a Breeders' Cup trophy in 2013. (Photo by Eclipse Sportswire)
Three-time All-Pro cornerback Champ Bailey made headlines this week with his thoughts on what the future should hold for former teammate and two-time All-Pro wide receiver Wes Welker.
Welker has led the National Football League in receptions three times and made the Pro Bowl five times in 11 seasons. That is a heck of a career for a player who was undrafted coming out of college at Texas Tech.
Welker, however, has a history of concussions, including three in less than 10 months in 2014. Bailey said he thinks it’s time for Welker to hang up his cleats and think about life after football.
“I don’t want Wes to play for my own personal reasons. I’ve seen him get concussions. It scares me,” Bailey told Fox Sports. “I think he can still play, but I don’t want him to play because of these concussions.
“This thing is no joke. It’s a serious thing when you start talking about your head. And for him to have to worry about that at a young age that he is now, he has to think about that for years to come, and I just hope he hangs it up and not strap it up again.”
The side effects and long-term health implications of concussions have been the subject of close scrutiny in recent years in all sports at all levels. Several lawsuits helped spark action on this important health issue.
There have been new rules installed to protect players in many sports, specifically in the NFL addressing hits to the head, helmet-to-helmet hits and protecting players in defenseless positions. Protocols were installed that require baseline tests in advance of games that allow doctors to perform testing during games on NFL players who might have sustained a concussion to determine if they are fit to return to the game. Equipment also has improved in the last decade, but the reality is that pro football features violent collisions that can cause head trauma.
Welker has not yet signed on with a team for the 2015 season after playing with the Denver Broncos in 2013 and 2014. Bailey referenced Welker’s pursuit of a Super Bowl ring as a reason for his desire to continue playing and it’s probably safe to assume that most professional athletes simply enjoy the thrill of competing at the highest level.
WES WELKER DURING HIS TIME WITH THE BRONCOS

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Jeffrey Beal
Fortunately for Welker, if he decides to retire there is an opportunity for him to continue to pursue sports competition at the highest level in a sport he already has enjoyed success: horse racing.
Just last month, Welker won a Group 1 race with his appropriately named 5-year-old gelding Undrafted at Royal Ascot, arguably the premier race meeting in the world (apologies to Saratoga, Del Mar and Keeneland Race Course in the U.S.).
UNDRAFTED  AT BELMONT

Photo by Eclipse Sportswire
More and more professional athletes seem to be finding their way to horse racing as a way to rediscover the thrill of competition. NBA veteran Rashard Lewis, All-Pro defensive lineman Vince Wilfork, Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk and Olympic skier Bode Miller, to name just a few, have raced Thoroughbreds and in Miller’s case he is even trying his hand as a trainer.
Thoroughbred racing would no doubt be better with more of Wes Welker’s passion. His success at the betting windows at the 2014 Kentucky Derby generated significant buzz across many major media platforms.

Wes Welker just handed everyone $100. pic.twitter.com/mtU9eOMonx
— Jeff Novak II (@Jeff_Novak) May 3, 2014

At the 2015 Kentucky Oaks, the aforementioned Undrafted finished second in the $150,000 Twin Spires Turf Stakes, and at this point, it’s pretty clear that the pounding of thundering hooves is undoubtedly one of Welker’s favorite sounds.
There are plenty of advantages to horse racing when compared with football, besides the obvious fact that dodging horse dung in the paddock isn’t dangerous like dodging 260-pound linebackers with world-class sprinter speed.
In pro football, coaches are always screaming at players to perform; racehorse owners get to scream at the top of their lungs for their horse to win a battle in the stretch.
Football players drink Gatorade during the big event. At the races, you have your choice of beer, win, bourbon or a soft drink. Watered-down Gatorade or bourbon? C'mon there's no debate.
DRINKING MINT JULEPS IS A KENTUCKY DERBY TRADITION

Photo by Eclipse Sportswire
Wagering is strictly forbidden for pro athletes in major sports (see Rose, Pete). Gambling is encouraged at the racetrack, where you can get decent odds to win or try to strike it rich with the Pick 6 or a superfecta. Apparently, Welker is already a pretty solid handicapper, so he has a head start.
Wes Welker has spent the majority of his football career competing in the freezing cold winters of New England and Denver. Racing shifts to Gulfstream Park in Florida and Santa Anita Park in sunny Southern California when the temperature drops.
The beauty of racing Thoroughbreds is that you can be an owner for your entire life and continue to satisfy the adrenaline cravings of elite pro sports competition.
Whether Welker plays another year or two or retires before the season, he has a nice option for competition to fall back upon in racing. Let’s just hope Welker uses all of the available resources to make the best decision for himself.
Horse racing is always here for you, Wes, whenever you are ready to experience the magic full time.