Cowboys’ Leighton Vander Esch retires over lingering neck issues: ‘Body won’t cooperate’
NY Post
Former Cowboys All-Pro linebacker Leighton Vander Esch announced he has medically retired from the NFL due to lingering neck issues in his six-year career.
Taking to his Instagram, the 28-year-old Vander Esch — who played for Dallas his entire pro career — explained that his body “won’t corporate” with the game he loves in an emotional note on Thursday.
“Today is a difficult day for me, but it is also a day of reflection and gratitude,” he wrote. “… I realize that I am no longer able to adhere to the unwavering standard of excellence that professional football demands. I say this with a heavy heart: I am medically retiring from the NFL.
“I love the game of football so much, and my body won’t cooperate any longer. I cherished every moment of my NFL career, and it has been such a blessing to play the game for as long as I have played.”
Vander Esch was release by Dallas with a failed physical designation on March 15.
The 2018 first-round pick suffered a neck injury in October against the San Francisco 49ers, which put him on the injured reserve list for the rest of the 2023 season.