Two Tennessee Players Will Retire From Football Due to Injury

Football is undoubtedly the most brutal game in sports. Players are forced to endure hard-hits that led to frequent and nagging injuries, some more serious than others.

The NFL might as well not stand for National Football League anymore, but "Not For Long" as the average career length for its athletes is just over three years. However, some young prospects aren't lucky enough to make it that far, having their careers end before they even started.

This was the case for Darrin Kirkland Jr. and James Brown. According to head coach Jeremy Pruitt, the two Tennessee Volunteers were forced to step away from the game due to health concerns.

Kirkland showed promise early on before nagging injuries started to effect his ability to take the field. The former member of the 2015 All-SEC Freshman Team played in 33 games as a Vol, totaling 162 tackles, five sacks, two interceptions, four passes defended, a fumble recovery, and a touchdown. As for Brown, he will never play a down of college football.

Prior to this news, Pruitt seemed optimistic when discussing Kirkland's injury in April, but was certainly aware that this outcome was possible:

“Darrin, he had a little bit of a chronic knee (problem),” Pruitt said. “He’s had a couple of surgeries on his knee. He is undergoing some treatment in Pensacola with James Andrews. It’s something that’s been done on several guys that play in the NFL that’s really extended their careers.

- Jeremy Pruitt

Unfortunately, no measures could be taken to prevent the inevitable.

The Vols have now seen six players hang up their cleats due to various injuries since the 2018 season. Chance Hall, Tanner Antonutti, Devante Brooks, and Eric Crosby all had to give up their football dreams before this announcement added two more Tennessee athletes to the total.