Nobody, ever, has "earned the right" to give up on a ball he can catch.
However, I don't think he gave up on anything. The ball simply beat him. It happens.
Sylvester Stallone, Jean Claude VanDamme, and Arnold Schwarzenegger are sitting around discussing casting for their upcoming musical.
Stallone: "I'll be Beethoven."
VanDamme: "I'll be Mozart."
Schwarzenegger: "Nope. Forget it."