It’s no surprise that retired NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. is fully supportive of Luke Kuechly’s decision to retire from playing in the NFL.
The Carolina Panthers linebacker announced Tuesday night through the team’s Twitter account that he is retiring after eight season in the league, which which included seven Pro Bowls, five First-Team All-Pro nods and being the 2013 Defensive Player of the Year and 2012 Defensive Rookie of the Year. But the 28-year-old player also suffered multiple concussions throughout his career and is making what he clearly feels is the best decision for his future.
Earnhardt gets that.
The 45-year-old driver retired from racing full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series at the end of the 2017 season. Although a concussion sidelined him for the second half of the 36-race season in 2016, he could have continued racing, but he wanted to walk away from the sport on his own terms.
Speaking to the media at the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Wednesday during an event for the “Dale Jr.: Glory Road Champions” exhibit, Earnhardt praised Kuechly’s early retirement decision. He shared similar feelings in August following quarterback Andrew Luck’s retirement announcement.
Dale Earnhardt Jr had a lot of positive words to say about Luke Kuechly and his retirement: pic.twitter.com/2nYy2JJrH3
— Zach Aldridge (@wzaldridge) January 15, 2020
The retired NASCAR driver and longtime Washington Redskins fan said:
“My feeling for Luke is relief. He had an amazing career, and obviously, I’m sure, he would have loved to play longer. But he’s made some amazing, great choices for himself and for his family and his future. And he feels strongly about that decision, and all you can do is support that.
“He’s gave everything he could when he was out on the field for the better of his team. If you listen to the comments from his coaches and the players that he’s played with, you understand exactly what kind of person he was and how supportive — how much of a teammate he was to the guys he played with. That speaks volumes.
“You just have to support his decision. You have to want to support his decision and [be] excited about his future and what he might do next and the next chapter for him. It’s gonna be positive and successful, you’d imagine, because of the type of person he is. And I think that, you know, when you get in those type of situations that he was in, you have to make some difficult choices, and I think he made the right one. I feel like a lot of people can learn from that. I think he set an amazing example for a lot of young folks to follow.”
Beyond his 2016 injury, Earnhardt has a long history with concussions. He estimates he suffered 20 to 25 concussions, many undiagnosed, throughout his NASCAR career, which spanned more than two decades.
Since retiring from full-time racing — he still competes in one race a year — Dale Jr. has worked to raise awareness about concussions and their symptoms. In 2016, he also said he will donate his brain for concussion research.
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