NC State QB Grayson McCall retires after concussion: NPR

NC State quarterback Grayson McCall said he will retire from football after suffering yet another concussion. “My dreams were cut short.”

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North Carolina State quarterback Grayson McCall He announced on Wednesday that he would retire from football after suffering a head injury in a match earlier this month.

he was 23 years old removed from the field during NC State’s game against Wake Forest on Oct. 5, after two defenders hit him while he was scrambling in the first quarter. His helmet came off during the kick and he lost control of the ball, then went to the ground as a defender returned the ball almost the entire length of the field.

“I’ve dealt with injuries throughout my career, but I can’t come back from this situation,” McCall said. In a post on Instagram.

“Brain experts, my family, and I concluded that it was in my best interest to hang the locks,” he continued. “I did everything I could to keep going, but this is where God Almighty has called me to serve in a different area.”

McCall’s concussion in October was his second this season; He missed two September games due to an injury suffered in a game against Louisiana Tech on September 14.

NC State Wolfpack’s Grayson McCall falls to the ground after being hit by Wake Forest Demon Deacons’ Dylan Hazen on October 5, 2024 in Raleigh, NC. from sports to his retirement.

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And that was at least a third of McCall’s college career. His 2023 season with Coastal Carolina ended early last October following a head injury. As McCall attempted to slide to the ground on a tackle against Arkansas State, a defender dove to tackle him with a helmet-to-helmet hit that left McCall lying limp on the grass.

McCall was Coastal Carolina’s three-time Sun Belt Player of the Year. He passed for more than 10,000 yards and 91 touchdowns in 46 games over six seasons in his college career.

As a child, he wrote, he “dreamed this crazy dream to grow up and be like the men I watched on TV.”

“Unfortunately, my dream was left unfinished,” he said. “I always did my best and to the best of my ability because I never knew which game would be my last. I have no regrets throughout my career.”

Awareness in sports danger of concussion has grown dramatically in the last decade. Injury is a risk in youth sports, including football, hockey, cheerleading and soccer. Concussions and repeated blows to the head are linked to other forms of neurological damage, including dementia and traumatic chronic encephalopathy. better known as CTE.

In football, the nation’s most popular sport, head injuries and concussions have become familiar topics to the tens of millions of viewers who tune in to watch college and professional games every Saturday and Sunday. At all levels of sports, concussion protocols It was developed in consultation with neurologists’ guidance when players were allowed to return to the field.

NFL’s Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa practiced for the first time on Wednesday after continuing his winning streak. third diagnosed concussion An injury to his professional career last month had led to widespread calls for his retirement, given his history of concussions.

“I love this game and I love it to death,” Tagovailoa said at a press conference Monday. “There is risk in everything and I am willing to take the chances.”