New York Jets offensive lineman Cameron Clark is retiring from football because of the risk of paralysis.
A 2020 fourth-round pick by the Jets, Clark suffered a spinal cord injury last training camp and missed the 2021 season.
“Based on the advice of Dr. Andrew Hecht, a prominent orthopedic surgeon at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York, Cameron will not be able to continue to play football for the New York Jets,” Clark’s agent, Alan Herman, told ESPN.
Clark, 24, never took a snap in a regular-season game. He sustained a shoulder injury in his rookie season in 2020. He played his college ball at Charlotte.
The injury occurred Aug. 3 during 11-on-11 drills on the first day of practice in pads. Clark was left lying motionless on the field for several minutes before being placed on a spine board and taken to Morristown Medical Center near the team headquarters in Florham Park, N.J.
Hours later, the team said he had a spinal cord contusion and was expected to make a full recovery.
