Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Telvin Smith announced that he’ll be stepping away from football Thursday, and it appears the team seemingly was in the dark about his future. After the veteran linebacker broke the news, the Jags released a statement on the situation which states that they’ll will look to speak with Smith in person to further understand the situation.
“We will not have a comment about Telvin Smith’s statement at this time. We need to have a conversation with Telvin to understand the situation and the circumstances. If there is a way we can support him we need to understand that.”
Smith made his announcement via Instagram Thursday afternoon, stating that he wanted to give more time to himself, his family and his health. He also said his heart will remain with the Jaguars, who he’s gone to battle with for many years.
We’ve often seen players leave football early with all the health concerns surrounding the game (most notably CTE) and that might be the case with Smith, who battled a concussion in 2017 and missed two games as a result. If that’s the case, one can’t blame him for his decision as his health and family come above everything else.
