Eric Wood knew for more than two weeks that his neck had degenerated to the point at which he could no longer play football. But Wood kept it quiet because he was hoping to play in one last football game.
According to the Buffalo News, Wood was waiting for a possible call to join the AFC Pro Bowl roster, which would have been his farewell to football.
It’s hard to reconcile the results of Wood’s end-of-season physical, which detected a condition in his neck that prevents him from being cleared to play with his desire to play one more game, even when considering the relatively light nature of Pro Bowl blocking and hitting. It’s still blocking and hitting, and Wood would have been assuming some degree of risk.
He never got the call, and now the word is out that Wood will be retiring after nine NFL seasons.