Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Sidney Rice will be forced to retire at the age of 27, the Seahawks confirmed on Tuesday. Per a ProFootballTalk.com report (via Jayson Jenks of the Seattle Times), multiple concussions are the reason for Rice's early exit from the NFL.
Here's what Rice had to say in the team's official statement released on Wednesday:
“After careful consideration and seven wonderful years playing in the National Football League, including the last three for the Seattle Seahawks, I have decided to retire from playing in the National Football League. I have enjoyed my experiences with all of my coaches, teammates and passionate Seahawks fans. I take great pride in knowing I was one of the players signed to help build the foundation of the team that ultimately won the Super Bowl. I’ll be joining the 12s in support of the Seattle Seahawks as they take on the challenge to repeat. I appreciate all of the wonderful opportunities and look forward to establishing myself as a businessman. I will always be a Seahawk!”
Rice missed the second half of the 2013 NFL season with an ACL tear and would have been in competition for a job this summer due to the team's deep cache of wide receivers.
Team general manager John Schneider expressed his gratitude to Rice in the team's statement:
“The entire organization would like to thank Sidney for his leadership over the past three seasons. His time as a Seahawks player displayed the core values that Pete and I aimed to bring to the program and Sidney is a true champion. We wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors.”
Rice finishes his seven-year NFL career with 243 receptions for 3,592 yards and 30 touchdowns.
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