Former Green Bay Packers Pro Bowl safety Nick Collins is putting an end to his comeback attempt, on the advice of his doctor.
Collins, who suffered a neck injury in week two of the 2011 season and was released by the Packers in the offseason, had been working out in Florida while deciding whether to pursue a return to the NFL with another team.
Collins’ specialist advised him to put an end to that bid.
“However, at a recent evaluation with the specialist who performed his neck surgery,” Jason La Canfora writes, “Collins was advised not to pursue football … effectively ending the process.”
Collins had cervical fusion surgery, a process similar to what Peyton Manning underwent last season. After evaluating his recovery, Packers coach Mike McCarthy said he wouldn’t want Collins to play again if Collins were his son.
In his seven-year career, Collins had 21 picks and returned four of those for touchdowns. He was a three-time Pro Bowler.
Certainly, we’ll always remember his interception return for a touchdown in Super Bowl XLV, which was probably the most important play in that game.
If there’s a bright side to any of this, other than the fact Collins can still walk, it’s that he’ll retire a Packer and not end up with some other garbage team.