What happened to Barry Sanders? The man who disappeared from the NFL at his peak!

In the 1990s, Barry Sanders Jr established himself as one of the greatest running backs in NFL history while playing for the Detroit Lions.

In ten seasons in the NFL, Sanders was the premier offensive player in a struggling Detroit team, earning 10 All-Pro team selections, 10 Pro Bowls, and NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Sanders was the 1997 NFL MVP, two-time Offensive Player of the Year in 1994 and 1997, the NFL touchdown leader in 1991, and a four-time rushing leader in 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997.

In 1999, aged 31 and at the peak of his powers, Barry Sanders decided to walk away from football just days before NFL training camp was about to start.

For context, Sanders retired when he was just 1,458 yards away from breaking Walter Payton's iconic rushing record, a record he would have broken in the 1999 season.

In the lead-up to his retirement, Sanders had rushed for at least 1500 yards in the last four seasons, including a season of 2,053 yards in his 1997 MVP season.

So, why did the greatest running back of his generation just quit days before training camp? In his recent documentary, 'Bye Bye Barry,' he revealed the answers.

Sanders disappeared to London on the eve of training camp in 1999 and faxed a goodbye letter to his hometown newspaper, signaling his intentions to leave the NFL.

Sanders wrote: "The reason I am retiring is simple: My desire to exit the game is greater than my desire to remain in it." He added, "I have searched my heart through and through and feel comfortable with this decision."

A large majority of the Detroit Lions fans believed his reasoning was a lie, with one fan saying: "OJ (Simpson) was my least favorite runner, but he only stabbed two people in the back." According to theguardian.com.

Fellow American sports icons Jim Brown and Michael Jordan left their sports at an early stage but as winners and started other career paths (acting and baseball).

Over the past 24 years, no one could understand why Sanders could walk away, but he explained that it was due to a lack of winning and ambition from the Detroit organization.

According to 'Bye Bye Barry' on Amazon, Sanders said: "For me, just that thing that drove me to play, which is that passion, just wasn't there."

"There was nothing left to play for. I didn't see us as any kind of a serious Super Bowl contender. I felt like I was making a pretty clear decision. I just felt like, in my mind, this is pretty much it."

Sanders had a point. The Lions were 5-11 in his final season and miles away in quality from the team that reached the NFC Championship game in 1991, one game from the Super Bowl.

After reaching the NFC Championship game in the 1991 season, Sanders and the Lions would not win a single playoff game in his final seven years in the NFL. The loss of key personnel like Pro Bowl center Kevin Glovers also contributed to his leaving.

Despite the poor team records, Sanders cemented himself as one of the greatest running backs in NFL history, even after leaving the sport in his prime in 1999. In 2004, he was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame.