‘Time for me to move on’
HEALTH SCARE PUT FOOTBALL, RETIREMENT INTO FOCUS FOR CANADA’S WILLSON
In the first week of July, Luke Willson had a great workout on Monday. Again Tuesday. Again Wednesday.
By Thursday night he was in a Seattle hospital, as his body began shutting down — the result of pericardial effusion, extra fluid dangerously building up in the sac surrounding the heart.
The Lasalle, Ont., native was preparing for a possible ninth season in the NFL. He’d suffered all kinds of injuries, but this was serious and he knew it.
Doctors drained the fluid and four days later Willson was discharged. He was readmitted to hospital a week later to have more excess heart-sac fluid drained. He recovered quickly thereafter.
“There was some severe inflammation at first,” Willson said by phone from Seattle on Friday morning in an interview with Postmedia. “It was tough ... They don’t know how I got it. It’s gone now — I believe it’s gone, I hope it’s gone. But it can come back.”
Willson soon was able to resume physically preparing for a possible return to the NFL. But on Wednesday of this week, just one day after signing his sixth contract with the Seattle Seahawks, the 31-year-old announced his retirement from football.
In his wide-ranging interview, Willson reflected on his football career, discussed what’s next for him and even explained what the deal is with his long, blond-tipped hair. Here’s an edited Q&A:
Q You made it through eight seasons in the NFL. That’s far longer than the average career.
A I know. Eight years in the grand scheme of life, maybe, is not long, but it certainly feels long.
Q How scary was that health issue you went through in the off-season, the severe pericardial effusion?
A It happened very suddenly. It was the beginning of July, in Seattle. What happened was I felt completely fine, just working out on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, all good. But I woke up Thursday and knew something was wrong. Things got progressively worse. I drove to the ER that day. A large amount of fluid had built up around the outside of my heart, in that sense like a compression sleeve. I started losing some body functions ... All so fast.
But the doctors were great. There was some severe inflammation. I was out after four days, back a week later. It was tough.
Q Do you know what caused it and if you’re over it?
A No, they don’t know how I got it. It’s gone now — I believe it’s gone, I hope it’s gone. But it can come back.
Q Did it play a part in your retirement announcement?
A I don’t know if it played a part like I was worried about it from a health sense. When you go from having three great workouts on a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to lying on a bed in an ER on Thursday, wondering if you’re going to survive — it really kind of changed my perspective on certain aspects of my life and how I want to live it. I know it’s a cliché — you know, I learned that life is short and uncertain — but in a strange way I kind of lived that moment and learned how drastic things can change in, legitimately, a few hours.
I ran around that day at practice (Tuesday of this week) and had fun and everything. But when I came back in I realized that my mentality is not all in football right now, and football is a game where if you’re not fully invested both mentally and physically, I don’t think you can play it. So that was that.
Q I know you’ve been concussed plus had all manner of other injuries. Was their toll over eight-plus years play a big part in your retirement decision?
A I would say so, but even beyond my body, I’d say mentally. I had given everything to football — and football has given everything to me, you know? It can give. It just was time for me to move on.
Q You signed six contracts with the Seahawks (from 2013-21). They kept bringing you back. They loved you, you loved playing for them. Can you explain why?
A That’s hard to say ... It felt like I kind of left college as a kid. I was 23. I might have been a little immature, who knows. (laughs). I really grew into a man in Seattle. I kind of just came to (adopt) a lot of the characteristics that were instilled in the Seattle atmosphere. I was kind of a living, breathing sample, I guess, of what the organization was all about.
Q Seemed like everything clicked between you and their high-energy head coach Pete Carroll, who always raves about you and your energy.
A I would agree with that. I battled a lot of plays there for them.
I think they felt comfortable, especially in later years, that they could trust me. They knew I could do it.
It’s been an honour playing for Pete, that coaching staff, the whole organization from top to bottom. I am just truly blessed that that’s where I ended up. Even the city of Seattle I’ve really fallen in love with ... I’ll be a Seahawks supporter the rest of my life.
Q I think you caught all 97 of your career passes there from Russell Wilson, who seldom ever comes out.
A Yeah, every pass except one — from B.J. Daniels in a 49ers game.
Q Is the Super Bowl win in 2013, when you were a rookie, your top memory there?
A Not really, to be honest. On the field, for sure. That and the (dramatic late comeback win in the) NFC championship game there the next year (against Green Bay). But on top of that, I think the top memories now are just the relationships that I’ve been fortunate to build. The people, the experiences. For me, that outweighs everything we did or didn’t do on the field.
Q Does the Seahawks’ socalled near-dynasty, and the heartbreaking loss at the end of the next year’s Super Bowl against New England, still weigh on you?
A Not really. There was a time when it did. But fresh out of retirement, not for me. I wish things would have changed, but I’m pretty happy with the way things went and the way things ended.
Q So what now? Where will you live, what will you do?
A I don’t know. I really don’t know. I still don’t even want to know yet. I’m going to spend some time and maybe travel around, enjoy myself — just kind of do nothing for a little bit. I’m excited about that. After that, I’ll figure it out.
Q Where are your homes? A Nowhere! Ha. I’ve only rented. That’s a whole other issue in itself.
Q Are you single?
A Yes. Happily. No immediate family, no kids. I’ve got nothing really tying me down.
I’ll go home to (Lasalle) soon and see family and such.
I’m kind of excited to see what the next chapter is.
Q You’ve done some media work, reporting for both TSN and Sportsnet at the Super Bowl. Is that something you purposely tried to develop as a post-career job path? Is that what you want to do now, either in Canada or the U.S.? Maybe studio work, as an analyst?
A That’s definitely crossed my mind, for sure. I just don’t know ... This whole retirement thing is so fresh and raw that I haven’t really thought of that.
Q Your long hair. It’s really long again, but I think the last time I saw you a couple years ago at the Super Bowl you’d cut it all off. What’s the deal with how you wear your hair?
A Yeah, now it’s not only long but it’s got blond, frost tips on it, man! It’s a little gnarly. I don’t know, maybe I was a little bored. The length thing, I wanted to grow it back for a while. And then the blond thing, I was like, I don’t know, let’s change it up. If I don’t like it I can cut it and go short again. But I liked it. Here I am. I look a little strange, I know, but I’m enjoying the energy from it.
Q You eloquently thanked your family and friends in the Windsor/lasalle area in your retirement announcement.
A Yeah, throughout my career I’ve had a ton of support from Canada, especially the Ontario side of things. It’s been a huge motivating factor to me, so thank you to all the Canadian fans who have supported me.