Frank Ragnow is clearing the air about his abrupt retirement one year ago.
The former Detroit center opened up about walking away last summer, explaining that he was trying to force himself through another season before his body made the decision for him.
“To shoot it to you straight, I was trying to will myself to play, and my body was telling me otherwise. And I was just in like a paralysis if you will,” Ragnow said Friday at an event in Michigan, according to ESPN.”I did not plan on retiring in the middle of the summer, believe it or not. I was trying to get like, ‘You can do it,’ for the guys, the fans … like, it’s who you are.
“But it’s just like I was uncomfortable, and it’s one of those things where you have a couple kids, and I don’t want a sob story,” he added. “I’m going to be completely fine and everything, but it’s one of those there where like, ‘Is the juice worth the squeeze’ thing, and to me, ultimately it came down to that decision, and obviously, I struggled with that decision too.”
Ragnow, who turned 30 years old last month, attempted to make a mid-season comeback in November, but failed his physical when Lions doctors found a grade three hamstring strain that would have sidelined him for the rest of the regular season.
“I got hurt a day or two before I got there, and it’s unfortunate. I should’ve listened to my body probably, but it is what it is,” Ragnow said. “It’s a learning experience, and at least I can say I laid my head on the pillow at night and said I tried. I tried for the team. I tried for the fans. And it just wasn’t meant to be.”
Ragnow, a first-round pick in 2018 by the Lions out of Arkansas, played seven seasons for the Lions, making four Pro Bowls before shockingly stepping away from the sport last summer, citing health reasons.
“These past couple of months have been very trying as I’ve come to the realization that my football journey is ending and I’m officially retiring from the NFL,” Ragnow wrote on Instagram at the time.
Ragnow dealt with various injuries throughout his NFL career, but specifically was hampered by toe issues.
In 2021, he missed 13 games with what he called “the most severe degree of turf toe.”
Ragnow played through a different injury to the same toe during the 2022 season.