Conflict, confusion mark the end of John Terry’s international career

It’s never easy with John Terry, a man whose controversies rival his medals. Now part of the captain’s career has succumb to those conflicts.

On Sunday, the former England, current Chelsea captain retired from international soccer, his representation releasing the announcement:

“I am today announcing my retirement from international football.”

“Representing and captaining my country is what I dreamed of as a boy and it has been a truly great honour. I have always given my all and it breaks my heart to make this decision.

“I want to wish [England manager Roy Hodgson] and the team every success for the future.”

NBC Sports: John Terry quites England squad before FA hearing

Terry represented his country at two World Cups and two European Championships during a 78-cap career that began in 2003. He twice served  as England captain (Aug 2006-Feb. 2010, March 2011-Feb. 2012), originally awarded the armband when David Beckham vacated the role after the 2006 World Cup. Now, at 31, he’s called a premature end to that international career.

The announcement comes as a shock, but Terry’s statement make his reasons crystal clear. The English Football Association continues to pursue disciplinary action against him stemming from an Oct. 2011 incident that occurred in a match between Chelsea and Queens Park Rangers.

Terry is accused hurling a racial epithet at Rangers’ defender Anton Ferdinand (younger brother of Manchester United defender and former England captain Rio Ferdinand). Although Terry was cleared of corresponding criminal charges on July 13, The FA announced its own charges on July 27.

I am making his statement today in advance of the hearing of the FA disciplinary charge because I feel the FA, in pursuing charges against me where I have already been cleared in a court of law, have made my position with the national team untenable.

It’s unlikely many of us considered this point of view before, but laid out in a single sentence, it makes perfect sense. How Terry represent an organization that’s intent on punishing him? Regardless of how you view the case’s evidence, the two parties don’t see eye-to-eye on the incident. For Terry to represent The FA while espousing his innocence feels hypocritical.

For some, Terry’s decision will be greeted with sadness. Others will be rejoice. Most will greet the news with a feeling of confusion. Over the last decade, no player has been more readily associated with the England national team than John Terry. Having already continued to represent his country despite losing his captaincy (twice), Terry walking away didn’t seem like a possibility. But with his disciplinary committee to begin Monday, things must have reached a point of no return.

This is also a point of no return for those who have closely followed Terry’s career. To this point, Terry’s controversies had led to a series of nebulous costs, the stripping of his captaincy meaningless for those narrowly concerned with final scores. Today’s decision indesputably changes part of that picture. We can no longer argue over whether Terry’s controversies have cost him (or his teams) anything. Today, a circumstance create by Terry has cost his national team one of their first choice defenders.

And although we may feel conflicted that a capable, iconic player feels compelled to turn his back on his country, we must remember that Terry’s had the heaviest hand in this situation, even if The FA’s played a necessary part. For those who have seen the video of what Terry said to Ferdinand, there’s little doubt as to what was mouthed. The most flattering thing that can be said in Terry’s defense is that a compelling alternatie narrative has yet to be presented.

In a criminal court, the evidence didn’t warrant a conviction, but the Football Association has good reason to discourage that kind of behavior. English soccer can’t be seen as looking the other way on race hate, particularly given the precedent it set in last year’s Luis Suárez case.

If the Ferdinand affair is an aberration – if it is inconsistent with how people know John Terry on a personal level – it makes the situation all the more unfortunate. But it is still something Terry has caused, just as ultimately he’s caused the circumstances that have ended his international career.