Sep 23, 2014 01:03 PM EDT By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

Before ever getting a chance to go pro, David Ash decided to end his football career and addressed the media on his choice at length at a news conference Monday.

According to ESPN, Ash spoke for about 25 minutes Monday and said he is "at peace" with his decision, even though he felt his coaches and doctors were strongly pushing him toward it. Ash initially suffered a concussion about a year ago and played against North Texas in the Longhorns' season opener for the first time since.

Click here for the full transcript, which includes coach Charlie Strong's address.

The week that followed the game, Ash said he had headaches all week and noticed he was not playing the quarterback position as he used to when he reviewed the game tape. Ash has not suffered from memory loss and does not know how many concussions he has had in the past year, but all things considered he counts himself fortunate.

"I'm at peace with that. God has given me a peace," he said in his address. "I have a lot of hope and a lot of belief that there's still awesome days ahead for me.

"At the core of my heart of hearts, I knew I shouldn't be playing."

He opened up about the North Texas game, saying he "really didn't get hit," but was not playing his usual game. He finished with 190 yards through the air and one touchdown on 34 pass attempts. Though he committed no turnovers, Ash completed less than half his passes and averaged just 5.6 yards per completion.

Ash said he contacted a team doctor to report some symptoms of blurriness and difficulty recalling specific events from the game. He said what stuck with him was something the doctor said.

"I think the main thing was, 'If you were my son, I would not let you play,'" Ash said.

Ash will stay with the Longhorns to help in any way he can as he continues taking classes at the University of Texas. He included that he has felt better in the last three days than he has for some time.

Ash still has a year of NCAA eligibility, but he is set to graduate in Dec., so he said he plans to continue taking classes while seeking a medical scholarship.

While he admitted to feeling a great deal of sorrow for giving up football, Ash said he now feels a sense of relief. He even said he likes the idea that now he will have time for a social life, a girlfriend.

Also present at the news conference was Ash's friend and teammate, senior cornerback Quandre Diggs, who jokingly said on Twitter, "He needs one!"

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