Jordan Burroughs issues a clarification about retiring from wrestling

Jordan Burroughs issued a clarification about retiring from wrestling. The Olympic gold medalist opened up about his absence from competitions over the past year and shared that it stemmed from a lot of factors which included taking some time off to self-introspect as well as spending quality time with his family.

Burroughs had previously spoken about retiring in an interview with Flo Wrestling back in 2022 and shared that he wouldn't be continuing to compete professionally after the Paris Olympics. However, his Paris Olympics dreams were shattered after he lost to Jason Nolf at the US Olympic Trials 2024. He then competed in the World Wrestling Championships 2024 in Tirana, Albania, where he lost to Iran's Mohammad Nokhodi in the quarter finals.

Since then, Jordan Burroughs has not competed in any competition and spoke about his absence from the professional circuit in an appearance on Flo Wrestling's Radio Live. Moreover, he spoke about whether he would be retiring from the sport.

"This has been the first year when I really got the chance to say hold on pause. I need to make the conscious decision of whether I want to do this or not, and kind of sit back and get things in order. I have a big family, I have five little ones at home. So, me being on the road and me training daily is not always conducive to them to having a present father," he said.

Moreover, Jordan Burroughs shared that he was going through a hard time as he had lost his father this year. He issued a clarification about retiring from the sport and said:

"After a lot of deliberation, sitting down with my family and talking about it, I wanted to make an announcement that I have decided to no longer eat red meat (laughs). I'm messing with you. I'm not retired."

---

Jordan Burroughs opens up about being a competitive wrestler

Jordan Burroughs at the 2023 Final X Wrestling - Source: Getty

Jordan Burroughs opened up about the hardships of being a competitive wrestler in a detailed post on Instagram. The American wrestler shared how it is very important to be consistent every day to be able to survive in the highly competitive wrestling circuit.

In addition, Burroughs stated that one must be open to challenges and enjoy the process rather than being focused on the results.

"You work your butt off every single day. You never stop improving, and you listen to your coaches and push your teammates to be better themselves. You seek out challenges and avoid distractions. You fall in love with the process and show up to work every day excited for the opportunity. You operate with honor and courage in everything you do. That’s what it takes," he wrote.

Furthermore, Burroughs shared that there were no guarantees in wrestling and one must persevere through hardships to be able to emerge as a champion.