Greg Olsen believes Travis Kelse will “control the way he leaves the game.”
Former NFL tight end Greg Olsen praises the sharing with Travis Kelse when he believes that Travis Kelse will eventually retire from the NFL.
Seriously sports
Editor’s Note: This story is part of the Project: June series called USA Today Sports. Fans know that the league never really sleeps, so we publish at least one NFL-themed story every day.
There was a player who recently retired from the NFL, but he’s not one of the blockbusters you know. He is important because he still matters and he reminds me of the cruel reality of the sport that many of us love.
Terron Armstead played 12 seasons in the NFL and most recently for the Miami Dolphins. Armstead was only 33 years old when he retired. For many “normal” jobs, I just started with 33, not the NFL.
Armstead recently appeared on the “Nightcap” show, saying his career is at a point where he can only play in the game if he uses painkillers. Then he explained something wonderful. He originally injured his knee. 2015, But it is not completely healed.
That means he’s been playing with knee pain as an NFL player for about 10 years.
“I’ve been dealing with knees (issues) since my third year in the league,” Armstead said. “I never saw the training field at all, not because I didn’t want to, but because I wanted the dolphins to take a break from me. It seems like I literally couldn’t walk.
“After Sunday’s game, I couldn’t walk on my own, on my own, until Wednesday and Thursday, so I could only play under painkillers, and I couldn’t put pressure on my knees.
It is not uncommon for NFL players to deal with chronic pain even in extreme cases. I’ve heard many examples of this (interestingly, the story almost always comes after the player retires).
We know about this part of the NFL, but none of us should forget that. Certainly, no one will force them to do that. Yes, they get a lot of cash. It’s famous.
The problem is that we continue to move away from realizing the human part of what players do. We are even further apart from acknowledging them as humans, as we are on a spaceship.
Fantasy football isn’t the only one doing this. Gambling is the dehumanization of players in a way worse than fantasy football or anything else.
Former NFL offensive lineman and Union executive Eric Winston spoke about possible consequences when tackling the dangers of once legalized gambling.
“A lot of people see us — I don’t know if it’s human, but it’s not necessarily human and not necessarily the problems other people have,” Winston said in 2018.
It’s even worse now.
Why do we need to exhale occasionally, pause for just one minute, and remember what these NFL players are going through. A player like Frank Ragnow.
He retired at just 29 years old. Ragnow was a great competitor in the league and one of the Iron Man. But much of what he played reads as if something was something from the film’s script about a confused ER.
Lagnau played through ankle injuries (2019 and 2023), concussion (2019), throat throat (2020), grass toes (2021 and 2022), gro caliber injury (2022), calf injury (2022), back injury (2022), knee injury (2022), 2024), 2024), 2024).
Throat in the throat.
once again: Throat in the throat. (For the record, a broken throat is not very good.)
But beyond catastrophic injuries, it prevents players from living a normal life. I’m just doing things like walking around. Bend it. Standing. driving.
Lagnow has missed 13 games in 2021 due to what he called “the most serious degree of grass toes.” He suffered a different injury to that toe the following season, calling it one of the toughest of his career that year. He told Detroit Free Press, a part of the USA Today Network two years ago that the surgery was useless. It is difficult to believe that it was not involved in his decision to retire. Again, just 29.
“The past few months have been a lot of challenge as I realized that my football journey has ended and I’ve officially retired from the NFL,” announced Ragnow. “I tried to make you feel good, but I am not, it is time to prioritize health and the future of my family.
“I thought I should give this team everything I have and I should give more, but the reality is I simply have to listen to my body. This is one of the most difficult decisions in my life. The Lions organization is absolutely incredible throughout this process and I can’t stress how grateful I am to this team and all my fans.
He fought. everytime. Many NFL players do that. In fact, most of them are.
And don’t forget what they are: humans.
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