Former Jaguars linebacker Russell Allen, who was released last week by the club, will retire from the NFL for health reasons, according to a feature by Robert Klemko of TheMMQB.com. Allen suffered a stroke during a Week 15 game against the Bills last season and was diagnosed with a “dead” spot on his cerebellum.
As Klemko writes, “none of the doctors Allen consulted could find a precedent for a pro football player suffering this kind of stroke” and the former Jaguar was told definitively by the last neurosurgeon he consulted that he should never play football again. Klemko’s entire piece, which provides an account of how the stroke happened and its effect on Allen, is worth reading.
A San Diego State alum, Allen spent his entire five-year career in Jacksonville, developing into a full-time starter with the club over the last two seasons. The 27-year-old was a key contributor on defense for the Jaguars in 2013, playing 601 snaps and providing nearly league-average production at the outside linebacker spot, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Allen, who logged 64 tackles and a sack, saw his PFF grade buoyed by solid play against the run.