Luke Kuechly played eight seasons in the NFL from 2012 to 2019 with the Carolina Panthers, and was an absolute menace during that time. However, while most menacing linebackers are known as intimidating figures on and off the field like Ray Lewis, James Harrison, and Chuck Bednarik, Kuechly was not.
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Kuechly earned seven Pro Bowl selections, five First-Team All-Pro honors, and a Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. But the linebacker, who made a massive difference to the Panthers during his time, was known as a genuinely nice and cerebral guy off the field.
The 2013 Defensive Player of the Year often had deep, thoughtful conversations about the game with coaches, played football video games to deepen his knowledge and understanding of the NFL, and even helped out around the facility whenever needed. Kuechly’s former teammate, Greg Olsen, recently spoke about the linebacker and his dual personality.
“He would kill you. He was an absolute sociopathic serial killer,” Olsen recalled on Glue Guys, before adding the finer side of Kuechly’s career.
“And then, the second the play was over, he would go get you your water bottle. If you dropped your towel, he would pick it up… You’d walk into the cafeteria, and he’s taking the trash out, wiping down the tables for the lunch ladies,” Olsen added.
It sounds like Kuechly was a genuinely nice guy. But you wouldn’t know it by the way he played football. He delivered vicious hits and racked up tackles like no other.
Unfortunately, this “sociopathic” behavior on the field took its toll. Concussions piled up for Kuechly, forcing him to retire prematurely at just 28.
Kuechly believes he could still play if he wanted to. But with the amount of concussions he suffered in the NFL, it simply wasn’t worth it.
“I could still play at 85 percent,” Kuechly told Boston Magazine in a recent interview . “But that wasn’t good enough. I was heartbroken about retiring from football. I’d played in the backyard with my dad since I was four years old.”
That’s a sad reality that Kuechly has to deal with. He is 34, single, and lives alone in Charlotte, North Carolina. But he finds joy in coaching middle school football with his former teammate, Olsen. Kuechly has also become a staple of the Panthers’ radio broadcast.
At the end of the day, it’s a good reminder that making a living as an NFL player can be brutal on some guys. Even the best players can have their careers come to an end prematurely due to recurring injuries.
Kuechly will always be remembered for the stark contrast between his on-field intensity and off-field kindness, as well as the passion and energy he poured into the game.
