Yet another player made a surprise retirement announcement in the middle of his prime on Tuesday, as Carolina Panthers veteran linebacker Luke Kuechly hung up his cleats via a video message on Twitter. Kuechly — a seven-time Pro-Bowler — is 28-years-old.
Washington Redskins head coach Ron Rivera had the opportunity to coach Kuechly for his entire career, and he had a few words of encouragement for the future Hall of Fame linebacker who cited health reasons as his cause for retirement.
“I had the great fortune of coaching Luke Kuechly for his entire career. He was the ultimate professional and was a big part of what we created in Carolina,” Rivera said, via Twitter. “Luke was a tremendous leader and teammate and one of the best players I’ve ever coached. I wish him all the best in his life after football.”
Along with NFL legend Lawrence Taylor, Kuechly is only the second player to ever win the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award and the Defensive Player of the Year award in consecutive years. He also was named a First-Team All-Pro five times.
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