Luke Kuechly retired from the N.F.L. in 2020 at the age of 28 after playing for eight stellar years as a linebacker for the Carolina Panthers and having sustained at least three documented concussions.
He joined other pro players to retire under the age of 30, including quarterback Andrew Luck, who played for seven seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. Now, Kuechly is 32 and coaches football for twelve-year-olds with his former Panthers teammate Greg Olsen.
During a phone interview conducted at his residence in Charlotte, North Carolina, Kuechly delved into topics such as observing present-day NFL athletes like Tua Tagovailoa enduring head impacts. Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was felled by head hits in two games last September. Kuechly also talked about his personal concerns regarding cognitive well-being, and the information he shares with the parents of his players regarding the hazards associated with tackle football.
Kuechly said, “…and there’s multiple ones [who are the ones? officials?] that their sole job is to watch the game to see if anybody gets hit or acts abnormal. So the N.F.L., I think, has done a really good job of trying to keep the players safe on the field and give them the opportunity to be safe in their return to play as well.” As the world improves in technology, the N.F.L. thrives in their safeness. They will always have someone on the lookout for injuries.
Kuechly was asked, “You had several concussions. Were any of them harder to deal with than the others?” He answered, “…fortunately early on, from our trainers and our coaches and different doctors and guys that I played with who said this isn’t like a sprained ankle where you can just deal with it and get through it and tough it out.” If someone has a head/brain injury, they must rest, and get better. The doctors and coaches won’t make them deal with it by themselves.
Kuechly said, “This is something where you’ve got to be smart and understand that this is a different situation. You got to let it get better.”
According to the New York Times, Kuechly says that when there are big, strong guys running around, getting hurt is basically inevitable. Kuechly wants Tagovailoa to play as long as he wants to. Kuechly just wants him to play safely. Kuechly hopes for Tagovailoa to have the fewest possible injuries as possible by taking it slow, and knowing his limits.
He joined other pro players to retire under the age of 30, including quarterback Andrew Luck, who played for seven seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. Now, Kuechly is 32 and coaches football for twelve-year-olds with his former Panthers teammate Greg Olsen.
During a phone interview conducted at his residence in Charlotte, North Carolina, Kuechly delved into topics such as observing present-day NFL athletes like Tua Tagovailoa enduring head impacts. Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was felled by head hits in two games last September. Kuechly also talked about his personal concerns regarding cognitive well-being, and the information he shares with the parents of his players regarding the hazards associated with tackle football.
Kuechly said, “…and there’s multiple ones [who are the ones? officials?] that their sole job is to watch the game to see if anybody gets hit or acts abnormal. So the N.F.L., I think, has done a really good job of trying to keep the players safe on the field and give them the opportunity to be safe in their return to play as well.” As the world improves in technology, the N.F.L. thrives in their safeness. They will always have someone on the lookout for injuries.
Kuechly was asked, “You had several concussions. Were any of them harder to deal with than the others?” He answered, “…fortunately early on, from our trainers and our coaches and different doctors and guys that I played with who said this isn’t like a sprained ankle where you can just deal with it and get through it and tough it out.” If someone has a head/brain injury, they must rest, and get better. The doctors and coaches won’t make them deal with it by themselves.
Kuechly said, “This is something where you’ve got to be smart and understand that this is a different situation. You got to let it get better.”
According to the New York Times, Kuechly says that when there are big, strong guys running around, getting hurt is basically inevitable. Kuechly wants Tagovailoa to play as long as he wants to. Kuechly just wants him to play safely. Kuechly hopes for Tagovailoa to have the fewest possible injuries as possible by taking it slow, and knowing his limits.
