Concussions lead Georgia safety to retire from football
ATHENS — Georgia junior football player Rashad Roundtree announced Wednesday that he is giving up football because of concussions, which caused him to miss the 2017 season.
Roundtree, a reserve at safety and inside linebacker, revealed the news in a series of Twitter messages he posted on Wednesday.
“As a result of a number of concussions, it is with a heavy heart that I announce that my journey in the path of football has come to an end,” Roundtree wrote. “As a child, all of my dreams involved playing football and it deeply saddens me that I can’t play anymore.”
As a result of a number of concussions, it is with a heavy heart that I announce that my journey in the path of football has come to an end. As a child, all of my dreams involved playing football and it deeply saddens me that I can’t play anymore…
— CallMeTree (@Rashad_Tr33) January 10, 2018
He continued:
“I want to humbly thank everyone that has supported me and who continue to support me.
“From little league, to middle school, through high school and now at Georgia my life has always been filled with football. My best memories involve being out on the field with my boys and with my family in the crowd cheering me on.”
The news was not unexpected. Roundtree remained around the team but did not play this season. Coach Kirby Smart said Roundtree was dealing with injuries.
A 4-star recruit when he joined the team from Lakeside High in Evans, Ga., in 2015, Roundtree played in 24 games as a freshman and sophomore, mostly on special teams. He began as a safety, briefly tried inside linebacker in 2016, the moved back to the secondary.
Roundtree did not say whether he will remain at UGA on scholarship, but that is usually an option in medical cases. Roundtree could take a medical disqualification, allowing the team to keep him on scholarship but not having him count against the team’s NCAA scholarship limit of 85.
Georgia sophomore offensive lineman Sage Hardin announced in September that he was taking a medical disqualification because of a severe hamstring injury.
