In his most recent interview, published in CBS' Watch! magazine in May (& done in February, I think), Alex said he now feels physically like he could do another season or 2--he seems to be willing not to close the door on the show after this coming season any longer (assuming CBS wants to keep it going, of course). Mainly because he's been undergoing stem cell treatments for whatever the most dire of his show-related injuries are & they seem to be making him feel physically better than he has in a long time. The original statement, where he said he thought he'd be done by the end of S8, was published in Australian media in mid-October, last year. People are entitled to change their minds in that length of time, in my opinion.