The abrupt retirement of the magnificently talented Carolina Panthers linebacker serves as a reminder we are all complicit in the trauma that football inflicts on players
Luke Kuechly, the magnificently talented Carolina Panthers linebacker who has announced his retirement at the age of 28, gave fans much to savour in his shortened career. It often seemed he was covering the entire field on his own, popping up everywhere to smother a running back or chase down the opposition’s star quarterback. If he wasn’t the best linebacker of his generation, he was close enough that it didn’t matter and the dizzying list of accomplishments during his shortened career speaks for itself: 2012 defensive rookie of the year, 2013 defensive player of the year, five All-Pro first teams, seven Pro Bowls, a
Super Bowl appearance, league leading tackler twice, the leading overall tackler in the NFL since his debut for the Panthers nearly eight years ago. By all accounts, he was a gentleman off the field too, and the warm tributes of those who played with him, and against him, are a testament to that.
Related: Luke Kuechly, NFL star with history of concussions, retires aged 28