Ricardo Lockette Announces Early NFL Retirement After Injury
Ricardo Lockette will officially retire from the NFL after suffering a severe neck injury last season at a press conference tomorrow. The Seahawks wide receiver injured his neck during a scary play against the Dallas Cowboys.
Lockette was a member of the Seahawks Super Bowl XVIII team in 2013/14 and also was a practice squad member of the 49ers 2012 NFC Championship team.
The former wide receiver made the announcement on Twitter and Instagram, signaling he would retire on May 12th, a nod to the Seattle Seahawks “12th Man” fans.
Bitter, sweet #Rockette @ Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport https://t.co/eFz6gaA8f7
— Ricardo Lockette (@RicardoLockette) May 11, 2016
#Seahawks WR Ricardo Lockette will announce his retirement tomorrow at a press conference, source said. He suffered a serious neck injury
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 11, 2016
Originally signed as an undrafted free agent out of Grand Valley State by the Seahawks, Lockette spent time on both the practice squad and the 53-man roster. In his rookie season he played in two games and had a touchdown against the 49ers.
Lockette would go on to spend the next two years on the 49ers and Bears practice squads.
In 2014 he signed with Seattle once again and made an appearance in all 14 games, catching two touchdowns.
His career would come to an unfortunate demise after the hit by Cowboy Jeff Heath. Lockette suffered ligament damage to his neck.
Lockette’s injury related retirement is yet another rash on the NFL’s side when it comes to young players having to retire due to injury. Chris Borland started the trend after he retired young to protect himself, while other players have followed suit after having suffered multiple head related injuries.
While Lockette’s injury is not centered around concussions, it connects with the league’s attempt to clean up the game and protect players on the field.
A time for Ricardo Lockette’s retirement press conference has not been announced as of yet.