Cliff Avril released by Seahawks with failed physical designation
May 4, 2018, 12:22 PM
Cliff Avril, who suffered a neck injury last season, has been released by the Seahawks. (AP)
(AP)
Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril has been released with a failed physical designation, the team announced Friday.
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The 32-year-old one-time Pro Bowler suffered a neck injury in Week 4 of the 2017 season and did not return to the field. His football future has been uncertain since the injury. Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor is in a similar situation after suffering a neck injury of his own in Week 10.
Thank you @cliffavril, for your great impact in the community and on the football field. pic.twitter.com/qMUKPqcqe3
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) May 4, 2018
Avril joined the Seahawks as a free agent signing in 2013, and his presence was key in solidifying the defensive line on the way to a Super Bowl championship that season and back-to-back Super Bowl appearances. He recorded 33.5 sacks in four full seasons from 2013-16.
Avril, who is of Haitian descent, has spent each of the last three offseasons helping build a school in rural Haiti, and his Cliff Avril Family Foundation raises money and awareness to fight Type 2 diabetes in youth and encourages healthy living through nutrition and exercise. His off-the-field impact earned him the Seahawks’ nomination for the 2016 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.
The Purdue alum was a third-round pick of the Detroit Lions in 2008. He played five seasons with Detroit before coming to the Seahawks.
