Mark Twain once described golf as a “good walk spoiled.” Now some might wonder if Hall of Fame WR Jerry Rice is walking away from golf after spoiling his chance at a dream.

Rice told reporters Friday that he likely has competed in his last Nationwide Tour event after he was disqualified for using illegal equipment. Rice said it was a “rookie mistake” for his caddy to use a range-finding scope to check yardages. And after shooting a first-round 92 on Thursday, Rice started to reconsider his quest to be a professional golfer.

“Because I can’t commit to golf the way I want to, this is probably my last Nationwide Tour (event),” Rice said, according to The Associated Press. “These guys, they’re working their butts off and they deserve to be out here.”

Even JaMarcus Russell gave being the Raiders’ quarterback a better shot. Rice made his Nationwide Tour debut less than a month ago, vowing to put in the effort to make it.

The disqualification and some high scores obviously led to a change of heart. But don’t despair. Anybody who has played golf in the past has vowed to quit the game at least a dozen times. Those competitive juices in Rice could start flowing again. Remember, this is the same guy who tried to extend his career with forgettable stints in Seattle and Denver. So never say never.

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