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Well hell....
I wish him well and I understand his decision, especially with a young family in the wings.
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
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Kelly, a four-time Pro Bowl selection in nine seasons for the Indianapolis Colts, appeared in eight games during his first season in Minnesota, missing nine starts due to three concussions.
“10 seasons. What an incredible ride it was,” Kelly wrote on social media. “I was blessed to be around some of the greatest people this sport has to offer. I always wanted to leave each place better than how I found it and with that I can hang my hat. Forever grateful for my family and brothers! Cheers.”
Kelly, 32 and the father of three children, considered walking away last year after suffering two concussions within three weeks in September. They were the fourth and fifth documented concussions of his playing career, the latter coming during the Vikings’ Sept. 28 loss to the Steelers in Dublin. While recovering, Kelly said he wondered if he would ever play again. He said the team paid for his visit to a clinical neuropsychologist, Dr. Michael Collins, in Pittsburgh, where his long-term concerns were eased.
“A lot of soul searching, getting as many answers as I could, and then I realized I’m not done,” Kelly told the Minnesota Star Tribune in November. “I still love this game.”
He returned to play five more games before suffering his sixth concussion on Dec. 21 in a game against the New York Giants in East Rutherford, N.J., where he wore a higher-rated helmet and a Guardian Cap.
The Vikings signed Kelly to a two-year, $18 million contract last year to pair young quarterback J.J. McCarthy with an experienced veteran center. Coaches lauded Kelly, a self-described “chameleon” who adapted to many different quarterbacks in Indianapolis, for bringing that leadership, but injuries to both Kelly and McCarthy limited them to just six starts together.
Strib
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
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