Anthony Davis, the 29-year-old former 49ers player who stepped away from the NFL for the 2015 season and retired after appearing in one game in 2016, reportedly has decided to try to play football again.
Davis sent a letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Thursday seeking formal reinstatement from the league's reserve/retired list. Davis forwarded a copy of the letter to Pro Football Talk, which published the letter Friday.
The 49ers still hold Davis' contract rights, according to a league source.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Davis entered the NFL in 2010 as a first-round draft pick of the 49ers. The club traded up two spots to select him at No. 11 overall. He appeared in 72 games, including starting all 16 games in his first four NFL seasons.
But he sustained a concussion in 2014, and felt the effects for the remainder of the season. He announced in June 2015 that he would not play that season in order to let his mind and body to heal.
When Davis returned to football in 2016, Trent Brown had taken over as the 49ers' right tackle. Davis played just three snaps of offense and four plays on special teams in the opener of the 2016 season before deciding to retire.
"I just want my time and mind intact, when you lose em both, you can't buy em back," Davis tweeted shortly after the team announcement.
San Francisco 49ers
In the letter submitted this week to the NFL, Davis said he felt better about how the league was addressing the concussion issue:
“On January 24, 2019, I read articles by 3 different sources pertaining to there being a significant decrease in concussions in the NFL, down by 29 percent in the 2018 season,” Davis writes. “Excited to see that the changes you and your staff have made to the rules, and the allowance of safer equipment to be worn has had a positive effect, I confided with my family and on January 28, 2019 I made the decision that I’d love to play in the NFL again.”
According to PFT, Davis said he delayed applying for reinstatement so that he could enter the Drug Free Sports Drug Testing Program. He said he has no missed tests, no failed tests or violated any of the compliance issues in the past 92 days.
[RELATED: New 49ers linebacker finds inspiration from life of Patrick Willis]
“I understand that playing in the NFL is a privilege and I have matured to a point in my life where I am prepared to represent myself, the NFL, and my family with the utmost class, respect and professionalism,” Davis wrote in the letter to the NFL. “I appreciate the strides the NFL is making to protect players and better the game for all. I also appreciate this opportunity and I do not take this for granted.”