Detroit Lions center Frank Ragnow announced his retirement from the NFL after seven seasons on Monday. The 29-year-old enjoyed a quality career during which he was voted to the Pro Bowl four times and was thrice named an All-Pro second-teamer.
That said, many NFL fans will remember Ragnow for a gruesome-sounding injury he played through during the 2020 NFL season.
In the Lions’ Week 14 game against the Green Bay Packers, Ragnow suffered a fractured throat bone, an uncommon injury often associated with trauma from strangulation, according to the Journal of Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery.
Ragnow did not leave the game because of the injury. He played all 67 offensive snaps for the Lions before missing the next two games due to the injury.
How Frank Ragnow played through fractured throat
Upon returning to the sidelines, Ragnow realized his voice sounded different. He compared it to the sound a dog toy makes when its squeaker is broken.
Nonetheless, Ragnow’s airway was unobstructed, which allowed him to play the rest of the game. There was just one issue: he was unable to talk and couldn’t make calls at the line of scrimmage.
As such, Ragnow relied on starting guards Oday Aboushi and Jonah Jackson to help him communicate adjustments at the line of scrimmage. He also delivered a message to then-Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford to make sure Detroit’s offense would continue to operate smoothly as he struggled to speak.
‘He came up to me early in the game and was very hoarse and kind of faint sounding and was like, ‘I can’t really talk right now. I can’t really talk, just to let you know. Just make sure you’re communicating with everybody up front even more so than (you) normally would,” Stafford told the Detroit Free Press. ‘So it was kind of crazy, but it was good. Didn’t have any communication issues the rest of the game, really.’
Ragnow helped the Lions remain competitive against the Packers, but Detroit still ended up losing the game 31-24.
Ragnow and the Lions realized the full extent of his injury after the game. The fracture didn’t require surgery, but the offensive lineman had to rest his voice to ensure his vocal cords would make a full recovery.
‘When you see the vocal cords and see how I guess bruised up they are, it’s just something that was very alarming, for sure,’ Ragnow explained.
Ragnow was able to bounce back quickly from the injury. He was able to play all 58 of Detroit’s offensive snaps in its final regular-season game just three weeks after suffering the fracture.
That said, he acknowledged his voice wasn’t fully back at the time and it was difficult to remain quiet while the injury healed.
‘You definitely get a whole new perspective on just kind of taking everything in,’ Ragnow said of his recovery. ‘But I guess it was good that if I ever did try to talk, my voice did not sound well so that very much urged me to stop talking, so that was the good part of it. But it’s definitely a unique perspective and it’s definitely something I don’t wish upon anyone, that’s for sure.’
Ragnow did not experience any further throat injuries during his NFL career. However, he was frequently banged up, dealing with foot, toe, knee, ankle, back and groin injuries over his seven seasons.
Ragnow acknowledged those injuries took a toll on him and influenced his decision to retire at the age of 29.
‘I’ve tried to convince myself that I’m feeling good but I’m not and it’s time to prioritize my health and my families future,’ Ragnow wrote in a statement announcing his retirement. ‘I have given this team everything I have and I thought I had more to give, but the reality is I simply don’t. I have to listen to my body and this has been one of the hardest decisions of my life.’
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