By: AB G
Ryan Kerrigan, a former football player on the Washington Commanders football team, has announced a few days ago that his knee can no longer withstand playing on the field. Kerrigan has been a linebacker and a defensive end for 11 years.
The Commanders were disappointed to hear that Kerrigan was not going to be on their team anymore but with many injuries, Kerrigan could no longer participate in football.
Ryan Kerrigan was a linebacker and a defensive end on the field. A linebacker is the leader of defense and a defensive end’s job is to hold down the end on the line of scrimmage and don’t let anyone or anything get outside. He played 11 seasons in the NFL, which is the National Football League.
With a torn meniscus, which is a located in between your shin bone and your thigh bone, Kerrigan’s doctor reported to him that it is not a good idea to carry on with the sport. Kerrigan has also had five other injuries such as a fractured right hand, a sprained elbow, a knee tear, a concussion, and a leg strain.
“I was like: ‘Oh, my body feels nice! I can do this again, ” Kerrigan said. “It’s like, well, your body feels nice because you haven’t trained for football in two months, so you got to kind of acknowledge the truth there.” When Kerrigan retired, he couldn’t stop thinking about his decision, he missed the sport so much. He said it was hard to walk away, since this was his happiness in life.
Now that Kerrigan is finished with his playing career, he wants to explore coaching football. “Coaching is something I want to explore because I just feel like I love the environment too much. I love the football building environment. I love being around the guys too much,” he said. He is now helping out at the Washington Commanders camp to try out coaching.
Kerrigan is assisting his former coach, Ron Rivera. Rivera was also a former football competitor, who was a player for the Chicago Bears. Rivera said it took him a year and a half after he retired from playing to get into coaching. Although Kerrigan does not feel like he needs a break between the two careers, he would like to jump right into coaching.
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Kerrigan
https://www.draftsharks.com/fantasy/injury-history/ryan-kerrigan/4861