Bristol City will honour the final year of Nathan Baker’s contract after the defender was forced to retire at the age of 31 following medical advice.
Baker’s deal runs until 2023 and Nigel Pearson has indicated City will ensure he’s financially protected for the next 10 months, as per the terms of his agreement, rather than seek a reduced settlement.
The centre-back hasn’t played for City since leaving the field against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane following an aerial collision, which led to a second serious concussion of the season. That proved to be his 148th and final appearance for the Robins and Pearson paid tribute to Baker’s ability and also his character.
“I’ve not spoken to him for a while,” Pearson said. “But he’s in good health. It's quite a sad day to eventually go public on it. It’s a big shame but a hot topic in football at the moment, in terms of head injuries.
“He’s had a number of scans over a sustained period of time and the advice given to him that it would be potentially dangerous for his health, both now and in the future. I’m not going to divulge the sensitive side to it but he’s had plenty of time to think about it and make the decision himself and we as a football club support him in that.
“He’s at home with his family and the club will honour his contract, let’s put it like that.
“He’s a really good man. I like him a lot in terms of his style of play and how he goes about the game. But those types of issues aren’t relevant anymore, he leaves this football club with our best wishes and I hope, most importantly, his health is okay. It’s a real shame but the right decision.”
Pearson wasn’t able to offer any detail as to what Baker might do next, with the defender still coming to terms with a life without football having been part of a professional club since joining Aston Villa when he was just 13.
Villa tweeted a message of support on Monday, saying: “Everyone at Aston Villa is wishing the best to our former defender Nathan Baker, who has today retired from football on medical grounds.”
Whether or not his injuries permit him to continue a career in the game as a coach, is unclear, but academy director Brian Tinnion tweeted an offer to the 31-year-old: “Good luck Bakes free to come and coach our young defenders any day.”
City do have a rich crop of young centre-backs in the academy at present with Ryley Towler, Duncan Idehen, Raphael Araoye and Jamie Knight-Lebel all either on the cusp of the first-team, on loan or impressing in the Under-21 set-up.
Baker did issue a statement through City but also took to Twitter on Monday afternoon to message: "Thank you for all your kind messages, it means the world."
Although he has had significant time to firstly make the decision to call time on his career, and then come to terms with the impact on his life and well-being but Pearson admits today’s announcement and what it entails will still be incredibly challenging for him.
“It’s not my business to ask that,” Pearson said, of what Baker might do next. “How the situation has developed has been very much a case of he’s needed to allow time to be the main ingredient in being able to judge and assess the risk moving forward.
“What we’ve tried to do as a club is support him, not get in his way. He’s not been in a lot. For him, I would imagine it’s been important to try and get used to what the potential for a new start in a different direction looks like.
“But as much as we regret the fact he’s had to call time on his career, health is the most important thing. It’s a sport, it might be your job, but it’s not more important than your family life or just your general health.
“A sad day for him but I think he’s had some time to adjust. It will still feel very final and that’s never easy to deal with, when your career comes to an end - whether you decide it, or whether circumstances dictate that. There is still a finality to it which is not as easy as people may think it is.”
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