Two-time All-ACC linebacker Kyle Efford is medically retiring from football, a gut-punch announcement he made on Tuesday. This isn’t just some player stepping away, this is a Georgia Tech standout, and it sounds like his body just couldn’t take it anymore, which is brutal to hear for any football fan.
“My Body Has Taken More Damage”
Efford, who was in his fifth season with Georgia Tech, told reporters, “Over the past few years, my body has taken more damage than I can continue to ignore… and while my heart and my mind still have so much more to give, I reached a point where I have to start thinking about the life ahead of me.” Man, that’s heavy. To have your mind and heart still in it, but your body just says “no more,” that’s the toughest part of this game. He’d even missed games earlier this fall, which really highlights the battle he was fighting. He did manage to get back on the field last Saturday, recording a tackle for loss in a 28-25 win over Duke, but it looks like that was it.
Gave “Everything That I Had in Me”
The linebacker didn’t pull any punches about how hard this decision was, saying, “This isn’t how I imagined my football career coming to an end, but I’m at peace because I can say with full confidence that I gave this game everything that I had in me.” That quote, man. It tells you everything you need to know about the kind of player Efford was. He truly left it all out there, every single snap. It’s a tough way to go out, especially for someone who was an All-ACC talent, but you gotta respect a player who knows when to prioritize his health and his future.
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Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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