Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly has decided to retire at only 28 years of age, and Dukes & Bell caught up with Panthers beat writer Joe Person and find out more about the linebackers early retirement.
Person said this wasn’t something that came out of nowhere.
“Not entirely because I started getting hints that he was thinking about it.” Person said “I asked him in the locker room and he deflected saying he was taking it year to year, I think the timing is important to note, it’s not like Matt Rhule came in and he said this is a guy I don’t want to play for, I think the wheels were in motion already. It’s becoming a trend, guys getting out like Gronk while they still have their faculties and quite frankly I think it’s a good thing.”
When asked about the concussion issues that plagued Kuechly in his career.
“You remember the game on Thursday night where he was taken off the field on the cart and he was just beside himself crying, he had an emotional response to that particular concussion which the experts say can happen.” Person said “He was the face at that point of the NFL’s concussion crisis but it was not a mantle that he wanted to carry or a badge that he wanted to wear, he would talk about it a little bit but that was as far as he wanted to take it.”