Former Chicago Bears tight end Zach Miller hasn’t played a snap of football since suffering his horrific career-ending knee injury in 2017 against the New Orleans Saints. Now nearly four years later, he reveals he still can’t feel his leg from the knee down to his foot.
Speaking with 670 The Score’s Parkins and Spiegel on Thursday afternoon, the former tight end turned country music star said he’s doing well, but admits there are still lingering effects from the the injury:
“I’m fine. Life is good for me. I have a wife and kids at home, everything is good. Physically, yeah I got issues. As far as where we’re at in today’s day and age, my leg’s numb from the knee down. I’ve got drop foot, blah, blah, blah. That’s just kind of where I’m at. I can get around and do my thing but I don’t want to turn that into a pity party for me.”
Miller went on to say he’s still continuing to progress with his recovery, particularly with his foot.
“I got I’d say close to 50% of motion back in my foot to be able to walk without wearing the AFO brace that I used to wear to actually hold my foot up. That’s good and bad, I don’t have to wear the brace anymore, but I got some nerve damage and all of that stuff.”
The singer of songs such as “How Ya Like Us Now” and “I Was Hopin'”, admits the effects of the injury have prevented him from doing some activities such as coaching, but says he probably wouldn’t have turned to music if he was still playing football.
Miller joined the Bears in 2014 after spending four seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He worked his way up the depth chart to become one of the go-to weapons on the team from 2015-2017. During those three years, Miller caught 101 passes for 1,161 yards and 11 touchdowns, becoming a fan-favorite.
On Oct. 29, 2017, Miller attempted to catch a touchdown pass against the Saints, only to land awkwardly on his left knee. Miller suffered a dislocated knee and tore his popliteal artery. He was immediately taken to a nearby hospital where doctors performed emergency surgery in order to save his leg from being amputated and was hospitalized for weeks following the procedure. He was out for the year and missed all of the 2018 season before retiring in 2019.
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