Rice free safety Travis Bradshaw has been a huge part of the Owls’ defensive efforts the past few seasons, leading the nation in tackles in 2009 and placing second on the team in tackles last season. Unfortunately for Bradshaw and the Owls, it looks like those numbers are going to come an abrupt halt.
The Houston Chronicle reports that Bradshaw has decided to hang up the cleats after aggravating a nagging injury last week. On Saturday, Bradshaw was seen in street clothes and wearing a neck brace.
Head coach David Bailiff would not disclose the specifics of the injury, saying Bradshaw would make that public at a later date.
“It has been an accumulation of years playing this game,” Bailiff said. “He has a long and prosperous future ahead of him and the risks are not worth it.
“It’s devastating, but then when you blink your eyes and think what the end result could be, that’s what I mean it’s a miracle we caught it. I’m gad we caught it. Our medical staff did a great job,” Bailiff added.
“This game is a tough game, and there’s a lot of young men that don’t get to decide when it’s time to quit. Sometimes the game decides. This is one of those moments. It’s so much more about life than this game. This is a great game, but this is a game.”
It’s always tough when a kid has to call it quits because of injuries or other medical conditions. If there’s any silver lining to this story at all, it’s that Bradshaw will graduate from Rice this December with a degree in chemical engineering.