The Seattle Seahawks recently placed Cliff Avril on injured reserve, but he doesn’t expect the neck injury to end his career.
Despite reports to the contrary, the 31-year-old told Greg Bishop of Sports Illustrated that he plans to return. Avril also said “you might see me at the end of this year.”
This is encouraging news, considering every previous update about Avril’s health has been questionable at best.
After the defensive end exited a win against the Indianapolis Colts, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll expressed doubts about Avril’s future. Seattle then placed him on injured reserve, after which Carroll said Avril is seriously looking at a big decision.
Plus, per Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times, defensive coordinator Kris Richard said nothing is certain one way or the other.
Maybe this means Avril has started to receive encouraging news about his neck. We’ve seen players end their careers because of such injuries, and we’ve also watched Peyton Manning set NFL records and win a Super Bowl to close his playing days. The draw to return is obvious for these athletes.
However, according to Condotta, Avril experienced numbness in his arms and hands against the Colts. That’s not something to be taken lightly. The concern is ensuring another injury wouldn’t be more severe, so Avril is doing the right thing in seeking numerous medical opinions while recovering.
Perhaps he’ll never return to the field. But if he does, whether it’s in Week 14 when he becomes eligible or sometime next year, we’ll be hoping Avril can avoid a similar — yet even more serious — injury.