Arkansas running back Rawleigh Williams, one of the most talented rushers in college football, has decided to end his football career after suffering an injury described by school officials as a stinger in the Razorbacks' spring football game on April 29.
Williams announced his decision in a letter published by the school's athletics website.
"I've seen the replay. I saw a normal hit. That scared me. It shows me it doesn't take a big hit at this point," Williams' letter read, in part. "Any little thing can trigger it. I also saw the reaction of my mom and my sister. That broke my heart. I can't do this anymore. I want to be able to walk. I'm moving onto the next chapter of my life."
Williams had surgery to fuse a ruptured disc in his neck in October of 2015. He was subsequently cleared to play and made an impressive comeback last year, finishing third in the SEC in rushing with 1,360 yards and 12 touchdowns. During the Razorbacks' spring game, however, he fell to the ground after making contact with DE McTelvin Agim on a carry to the left side and said "I can't move," Agim told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
"(The decision) still doesn't seem real yet, but I really don't have a choice. I've dodged the bullet twice," Williams stated in his letter. "I realize that at the end of the day I want to live a normal life and be around my family."
Williams met with doctors, family members and Arkansas coach Bret Bielema last week to discuss his future, per the Democrat-Gazette.
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