Notre Dame offensive lineman Joey Tanona medically retires
Sometimes, life just isn’t fair. Notre Dame freshman offensive lineman Joey Tanona has learned that the hard way this year. This past offseason, Tanona was in a very bad car accident. Now, we’ve learned that the concussion he suffered in that accident was bad enough that he has been forced to medically retire from football.
The decision was not for a lack of effort as Marcus Freeman said Tanona attempted to get back into playing shape. However, it just wasn’t to be as Freeman alluded to in his comments:
“Mentally and physically, he was not in a place where he was ready to play football. He decided to medically retire. He will still be here to get his degree. That’s the greatest thing about this place. We can guarantee one thing – that at some point, the game of football is going to be over. But you have a chance to get a degree from this university and you a chance to be successful. He’s in good spirits.”
You never want to see someone’s college football career end before it even begins, but it’s something Tanona, a former four-star recruit and All-American Bowl selection, regrettably will have to live with. Luckily, as Freeman said, he will stick around to earn his degree from a prestigious university. No, it’s not exactly the same as being able to suit up for the Irish, but like every football player who graduates, that degree will have far more everlasting effects than anything that happens as a student-athlete.
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.
Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89
