Chargers Assistant O-Line Coach “Felt Truly Heartbroken” After Finishing His Playing Career

Nick Hardwick is back with the Chargers, the only NFL team he has ever known. Having played 11 seasons with the organization when it was still in San Diego, the former center is back in a coaching capacity under HC Jim Harbaugh. As he interviewed with the Chargers press, he spoke about being back in the Chargers camp and revealed his innermost emotions about transitioning from a player to a coach.

Hardwick reminisced about his days as a player and how he found himself “heartbroken” when it was time to say goodbye. He said,

“When I stopped playing I realized years later what I felt. When I got done playing was the first time that I had ever been truly heartbroken really everything that you had worked for everything that you had ever wanted to be.”

Chargers assistant O-Line coach talks about coaching role and Ji Harbaugh.https://t.co/00aeuhi3EN

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The former center’s playing career came to a heartbreaking end in September 2014, when he was placed on injured reserve due to a neck injury and never stepped foot on the field again, announcing his retirement just five months later.

Serious health concerns significantly influenced Hardwick’s decision to retire. He experienced nerve compression in various forms, leading to numbness in his hands during training camp that lasted for weeks and loss of feeling in his fingers. He called it “reckless” to continue playing after that.

Nick Hardwick’s New Role in Los Angeles

While he was a player, Hardwick was an integral part of the team, playing 136 total season games for the Chargers, he was one of the best protectors the team has seen. Per the Chargers, he protected the team’s best players on offense, helping make plays that helped them win games. And while he loved this part of the game, he could never really “hit snooze” to tend to his injuries.

It’s no secret that Harbaugh plans to take an offense-first approach in Los Angeles so Hardwick in a coaching capacity for the O-line makes perfect sense.

And being a part of the coaching staff puts him in a similar position that he is looking forward to. As he takes on the mantle of being an assistant coach in his former organization, he plans to help take the offensive line to the next level of play “One day at a time,” and is building his relationship with his new charges gradually.