A Golden Gopher defensive lineman announced that he’s done playing football after suffering a “very serious neck injury and concussion” in April.
“After my injury I spent a lot of time thinking and talking to myself before coming to a decision to step away from the game of football and to medically retire,” writes Alex Reigelsperger in a tweet.
Reigelsperger, a redshirt freshman defensive end from Dayton, Ohio, noted that continuing to play football would be too “dangerous for what I want in life.”
He told the Star Tribune that he fractured his C4 vertebra during a scrimmage and that he’s still going through therapy for memory, speech and mental health.
Reigelsperger didn’t play in his only season with the team, but he was rated as a 3-star recruit by 247 Sports and held offers from Wisconsin, West Virginia, Tennessee, Purdue, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Arizona and Kentucky, among others.
The 6-foot-5 will continue his education at the University of Minnesota, where he says he’s focusing on youth studies and is in the process of writing a book.
Here’s his full announcement via Twitter.
To Minnesota..
F.A.M.I.L.Y❤️
Row The Boat and Ski-U-Mah
ZeroDarkThirty signing out.✌🏼 pic.twitter.com/xLRYX3AD9O— Alexander Reigelsperger (@reigelsperger_a) July 9, 2019
