Tommy Doyle, an offensive lineman for the Bills, declared his medical retirement from the NFL on Friday. Doyle’s four-year career was sadly marred by injuries, and the most recent one to his left leg has damaged his nerves.
Doyle remarked, At this point, with the calendar and the healing process, it looks as though it’s permanent, regarding the wounded leg. “I simply cannot play football at a high level, and the time has come. “When you know you know.
On August 19, 2023, Doyle sustained the serious leg injury in Buffalo’s second preseason game against the Steelers. His right leg had an ACL tear in Week 3 of the 2022 season, which was his other significant injury.
I was really battling and competing and working to come back from that (ACL) injury, only to be kind of struck with an even more disastrous injury, Doyle said. But at the end of the day, there was a lot of negative emotions and anger…doing a lot of reflecting lately and looking back on it, I’ve learned a lot of valuable lessons from it.
One of the lessons Doyle said he learned is that his identity extends beyond the football field. The four-year player also shared it was a long process to arrive at the decision to retire.
Football is something that I’ve loved and put my life into, Doyle said. “And I put a lot of time, effort and energy to try to get back on the field. But ultimately, that’s really not the plan God has for me, and I know that to be true. I feel that this is the time to announce it and move on.
The offensive lineman saw his most action during his rookie season when he played in 11 games. Doyle was originally drafted by the Bills in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Many fans will remember Doyle for his playoff touchdown during his rookie season. The OL caught a one-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Josh Allen during the fourth quarter against the Patriots in the Wild Card round. Buffalo beat New England 47-17 with a score on every possession.
