5 NFL superstars whose promising careers were shortened by fate
Every NFL player knows that, one day, their career will come to an end. Most of them generally just hope that they will get to walk away on their own terms. They usually want to decide when their career ends, rather than have it taken away from them.
Unfortunately, it doesn't always work out that way for all players. There have been many times in NFL history where a promising superstar is taken away from the game way too soon because of factors outside of their ability to play football at a highly productive level. Here are five such NFL players.
5 NFL stars who had their careers cut short by outside factors
#5 - Terrell Davis, Denver Broncos
Terrell Davis was well on his way to becoming one of the greatest running backs of all time after a scorching four-year start to his career. He helped the Denver Broncos win two Super Bowl rings while also winning a Super Bowl MVP award and an NFL MVP award, while eclipsing 2,000 rushing yards in one season.
In the season following his MVP-winning year, Davis suffered a serious knee injury, which essentially ended his career. The time period in which he played may have prevented his full recovery, as injury rehab advancements have come a long way since then. A decade later, Adrian Peterson fully recovered from a similar injury and was as good as ever.
#4 - Travis Frederick, Dallas Cowboys
Travis Frederick has started all 96 games for the Dallas Cowboys across his six seasons in the league. In six years, he was selected to five Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams, demonstrating that he was one of the best centers in the NFL.
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Frederick was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, an auto-immune disease, which forced him to sit out an entire year. He impressively returned for a full season after that, before retiring in his prime due to ongoing factors related to his recovery.