Seahawks fan favorite Luke Willson decides to ‘walk away’ from football
Aug 25, 2021, 1:49 PM
Luke Willson has played for the Seahawks in seven of his eight NFL seasons. (AP)
(AP)
It appears Luke Willson will end his career as a member of the Seattle Seahawks.
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Willson was released Wednesday by Seattle, just a day after he returned to the team, and he followed up the news in the afternoon with a note on his Twitter account saying he has “decided to walk away from the game of football.”
— Luke Willson (@LWillson_82) August 25, 2021
Willson’s note goes on to detail that he dealt with health issues in the offseason, which included a stay in the hospital with a severe pericardial effusion, which is a buildup of excess fluid in the sac-like structure around the heart. Willson wrote that his perspective has changed “on a lot of things with regards to my life,” and that after spending Tuesday with the Seahawks, which included partaking in practice, “I have decided that it’s time for me to begin the next chapter of my life.”
The 31-year-old tight end has played eight seasons in the NFL, including parts of seven seasons with the Seahawks over three stints with the team. The Ontario native and Rice product was a fifth-round draft pick by Seattle in 2013, and he was a productive member of the squad right away, including the Seahawks’ Super Bowl-winning season in his rookie year.
Willson has 111 career receptions for 1,307 yards and 11 touchdowns in 102 games with the Seahawks, Lions and Ravens. His best year statistically was 2014 when he had 362 yards and three touchdowns on 22 receptions with Seattle.
In addition to his play on the field, Willson has become known for his quirky personality in Seattle, which was put on display with the Seahawks’ Techno Thursday tradition and in numerous entertaining interviews on 710 ESPN Seattle’s airwaves.
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