Safety Sean Richardson was able to return to the field for the Packers after having cervical fusion surgery on his neck following an injury to his neck in 2012.
Richardson needed to have the C-5 and C-6 discs fused and returned to play six games in 2013 and the entire 2014 season. He was off to a good start in 2016, but started feeling pain about a month into the season and found that the C-4 disc was herniated. He ultimately had another fusion surgery done in January, but says that he feels healthy enough to resume his career.
“You just said the key word: I’m healthy,” Richardson said, via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “Why quit if I’m healthy? My thing is I still have love for the game, I still want to play and I feel healthy. I told my family if my neck gives me problems, I was going to hang it up. I wasn’t going to give it a shot. But if I felt normal and felt I’m not at a greater risk than anyone else or at a higher risk to have a catastrophic injury or be paralyzed, then I’m going to give it a shot.”
There are mixed opinions from doctors about whether a player with a “two-level fusion” should play football again and Richardson will see some of those doctors as he tries to get a bill of health that will interest the Packers and/or others in bringing him in for the 2016 season. Even with that go-ahead, the level of risk involved suggests that Richardson won’t be guaranteed much more than a chance to show he’s healthy enough to get a chance to show more.