Kris Dielman announced his retirement this week from the San Diego Chargers. Dielman was an All Pro guard, well respected by his teammates and across the league, but he may be remembered just as well for the impact his career-ending injury had on the game.
“I love this game. I’ve given it everything I have,” Dielman said this week. “It’s time for me to focus on my future and my quality of life.
“I want to thank the Spanos family and the Chargers for giving me the opportunity in the NFL. Because they believed in me, I was able to realize a dream and for that I will be forever grateful.”
Chargers president Dean Spanos said, “Kris played the game the way it’s supposed to be played: with heart and passion.”
“He’s a throwback … an old-school player. All he cares about is his family and playing football and today he’s making family his top priority, as it should be, and I respect him tremendously for that.”
Dielman was a two-time All Pro and four-time Pro Bowl selection, in four straight seasons from 2007 through 2010. He was still in his prime going into this season, but all that changed when he suffered a concussion on October 23, 2011 against the New York Jets.
He was seen stumbling on the field, but he waved away a referee and told them he was fine. He stayed in the game, as many tough NFL players do every week. But he wasn’t fine. On the flight home from New York to San Diego, he suffered a seizure. He hasn’t played since.
By retiring, Dielman is walking away from $5.5 million this season, and the potential of a fat new contract in 2013. He put his own health and his desire to be there for his family first.
The injury also brought about some changes to the system that failed Dielman so badly. While millions of viewers watching on TV could see that he should have been checked for a concussion, nobody on the sidelines could see it. Shortly after his seizure, the NFL implemented a rule change incorporating a “spotter” in the box at each NFL game to look for potential injuries and concussions and to notify the sideline medical staff of when they should check a player.
That system subsequently failed with the Colt McCoy incident a few short weeks later, when he was concussed on a hit bay James Harrison but was put back into the game a few short plays later without being checked for a concussion. After the McCoy incident, the system was modified to ensure that a trained individual, such as a certified athletic trainer, served as the spotter. It’s not clear who the spotters were before that, but having someone trained on what to look for would seem to be a no-brainer.
In the end, Dielman should be remembered for the way he played the game on the field, not the way he left it. He was a tough, old-school football player and a consummate professional. The comments from his teammates reveal a lot about the type of player he was, and the kind of man he is.
“It has been an honor to play next to Kris for so many years,” Chargers center Nick Hardwick said. “His loyalty and toughness gave me and the guys who played with him a sense of security, knowing that we had the baddest guy on the field. And we knew nobody wanted to find out how bad a dude he was.”
“He taught us about loyalty, will power and friendship. I will certainly miss being in the huddle standing next to my best friend and personal protector.”
Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers said, “As a player, you wish you had 53 Kris Dielmans on your team, just because of how much he cared and how hard he played. We won a bunch of games because of him. He had a lot to do with our success offensively.”
“He loved being a teammate,” Rivers added. “He played the way he did because of his love for the game, and that never changed.”
Right tackle Jeromey Clary said, ” He’s one of the best offensive linemen I’ve ever played with and one of the best I’ve ever watched. It’s been an honor to work with the guy.”
Clary added, “If I was a D-lineman I wouldn’t want to face him on Sundays.”
Chargers running back Ryan Mathews said, “I’m going to miss him a lot. I have a lot of love for Diel. It’s going to be real tough to replace a guy like that. You don’t find guys like that very often.”
Mathews further explained, “Coming in as a rookie, he really helped me out a lot. He showed me that he really cared and he really believed in me. He was probably the first guy that I clicked with, one of the first linemen to accept me into the group of guys.”
Kris will be missed on the field on Sundays, but it is good to see a player putting his health and his family first.
I am so sad about this and thanks for the story. Dielman was one of my favorite players in the NFL and I loved watching him lead block, drive block, and give everything he had ever Sunday. I miss him already. Thank you Kris Dielman for the memories.