Ryan Kerrigan, former linebacker and defensive end for the Washington Commanders, announced Friday he was retiring from football. He finally capped an 11-season run in the NFL, 10 of which were spent with the Commanders.
“Even though I know it’s the right decision, ultimately it’s still not easy to know that I’m not going to play football anymore,” Kerrigan tells the Washington Post. “I kind of had that realization the other night. … I’m not going to play football anymore. That’s kind of crazy. Been doing it for so long. But I just know where I’m at, health-wise and whatnot, that this is the best thing for me moving forward.”
His primary reason for retiring was due to the poor condition of his knee.
When doctors gave Kerrigan the medical reports back in May of 2021, he was encouraged to end his career then and there. Still, while his physical condition led him to retire, his mind did not want to.
From that point, and especially in recent days, Kerrigan has been reminiscing about his years in football. He recalls his first game and the many locker room experiences he has had over the past decade. He thinks back to his teammates and the ups and downs he has been through with them.
“But it’s when I come back here to [the training facility] that I really am like, ‘That’s why I’ve loved this place,’ ” Kerrigan said. “Because it’s all the relationships you built over the years with teammates, coaches, the people in the kitchen, the strength staff, [media]. . . . It’s hard to walk away, even though I know it’s the right thing.”
While Kerrigan appears to have come to terms with his decision to retire, he admitted that he would definitely still be playing football if the medical reports were cleaner, if his knee was in better shape, and if his body could keep up.
“That’s what kind of makes it tough,” he said. “It’s complicated because I still feel like I can but knowing that it’s not a guarantee that I would get a roster spot at the end of camp. Because that was kind of my plan this offseason was to kind of wait throughout training camp and, once rosters started to shake out, hopefully find a good situation. But without that guarantee, to continue to put more stress on my knee and whatnot, it wasn’t worth it.”
Although it may be the end of his playing career, Kerrigan now hopes to come back to football as a coach, so he can continue to mentor.
“I love football too much,” he said. “I just love football too much to not be involved in it in any capacity.”
Link to articles:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/07/30/ryan-kerrigan-is-done-playing-he-loves-football-too-much-leave/
“Even though I know it’s the right decision, ultimately it’s still not easy to know that I’m not going to play football anymore,” Kerrigan tells the Washington Post. “I kind of had that realization the other night. … I’m not going to play football anymore. That’s kind of crazy. Been doing it for so long. But I just know where I’m at, health-wise and whatnot, that this is the best thing for me moving forward.”
His primary reason for retiring was due to the poor condition of his knee.
When doctors gave Kerrigan the medical reports back in May of 2021, he was encouraged to end his career then and there. Still, while his physical condition led him to retire, his mind did not want to.
From that point, and especially in recent days, Kerrigan has been reminiscing about his years in football. He recalls his first game and the many locker room experiences he has had over the past decade. He thinks back to his teammates and the ups and downs he has been through with them.
“But it’s when I come back here to [the training facility] that I really am like, ‘That’s why I’ve loved this place,’ ” Kerrigan said. “Because it’s all the relationships you built over the years with teammates, coaches, the people in the kitchen, the strength staff, [media]. . . . It’s hard to walk away, even though I know it’s the right thing.”
While Kerrigan appears to have come to terms with his decision to retire, he admitted that he would definitely still be playing football if the medical reports were cleaner, if his knee was in better shape, and if his body could keep up.
“That’s what kind of makes it tough,” he said. “It’s complicated because I still feel like I can but knowing that it’s not a guarantee that I would get a roster spot at the end of camp. Because that was kind of my plan this offseason was to kind of wait throughout training camp and, once rosters started to shake out, hopefully find a good situation. But without that guarantee, to continue to put more stress on my knee and whatnot, it wasn’t worth it.”
Although it may be the end of his playing career, Kerrigan now hopes to come back to football as a coach, so he can continue to mentor.
“I love football too much,” he said. “I just love football too much to not be involved in it in any capacity.”
Link to articles:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/07/30/ryan-kerrigan-is-done-playing-he-loves-football-too-much-leave/
