Panthers LB Kuechly steps away from football after eight seasons
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — “LUUUUUKE.” A chant said thousands of times over by fans ring in the head after watching All-Pro Panthers Linebacker Luke Kuechly retire from the NFL after eight seasons at age 28.
Kuechly announced his retirement in a post from Panther’s social media Tuesday night, fighting back tears with a heartfelt message. “It's never the right time to step away, but now is the right time for me”, he spoke. Kuechly talked about how this was a tough decision, one that had nothing to do with new ownership or head coach Matt Rhule, but one that he had to make as he couldn’t play to his standards no more.
“There's only one way to play this game, since I was a little kid, is to play fast and play physical and play strong. At this point, I'm not sure if I'm able to do that anymore. That's the part that is most difficult.”
Kuechly pauses.
“I still want to play, but I don't think it's the right decision. I've thought about it for a long time and I think now is an opportunity to step away with what's going on here.”
Kuechly was the ninth pick in the 2012 NFL Draft by the Panthers out of Boston College. His rookie season he won the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award and then the AP Defensive Player of the Year award his sophomore campaign. He was the key to the Panther’s defense in a memorable run to the Super Bowl in 2015 for it’s 50th anniversary . His accolades include being a seven-time All-Pro, leading the league in tackles twice and making seven Pro Bowls. Everyone held him in high regard as one of the best linebackers during his time, comparing him to Brian Urlacher.
Luke Kuechly career highlights (source Sports Productions)
Panthers fans will surely miss Kuechly as he was the key for the defense for so long, but during that time he suffered many injuries, specifically concussions. The linebacker had three known concussions starting in 2015. His worst one came during a Thursday Night Football game against the New Orleans Saints were the crowd was dead silent after Kuechly struggled to catch his breath. Coupled with that were shoulder and labrum surgeries that no doubt took a toll on his body.
Kuechly also thanked the Panthers organization, coaches and fans especially for their support in the video. “They've traveled when we've been good,” he said. “When we haven't been great, they've been equally as supportive. That's the best thing about this city and this town is that people love the team and people love the players. That goes a long way because when you love the players for who they are I think it transcends the game. That's what's important.”
The trend of players retiring early has become more common as Kuechly joins a growing list of players hanging up the cleats early, joining the likes of Rob Gronkowski, Andrew Luck, Calvin Johnson, and Doug Baldwin to name a few. This doesn’t help for the optics of the NFL as the shield has battled cases filed against them from retired players for concussions and CTE that have been found due to the physicality of football. But how safe can the NFL get before the game changes to something that is unrecognizable to fans.
