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Panthers' Shaq Thompson on Luke Kuechly's Retirement: 'I Gotta Step Up'

Carolina Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson is taking it upon himself to fill the leadership void left by the retirement of Luke Kuechly.

During an appearance on NFL Network's Total Access (h/t NFL.com's Kevin Patra) on Wednesday, Thompson discussed Kuechly's retirement and what it means for him in 2020:

"You had to bring that one up. I'm still hurting to this day about that one. I lost a great friend, a brother, just a great teammate overall. Luke taught me a lot in my five years, just playing alongside of him and just playing and just learning from him.