Eric Crouch Retires

In a stunning move, but one that he said came after "a lot of thought and consideration," Heisman Trophy winner and St. Louis Rams rookie receiver Eric Crouch is retiring from football.


Eric Crouch didn't feel he was making a smooth transition to receiver.


The former Nebraska star, who thanked the Rams organization and its fans, will officially leave the game on Thursday.

"I've played a lot of football from the time I was eight years old, benefited from this game and the opportunities it gave me, not to mention the friends I've made around the world," Crouch said late Wednesday from the offices of St. Louis-based agents Jim Steiner and Ben Dogra. "But I cannot in good conscience take a spot on this team."

Crouch, 23, said he is retiring primarily because injuries have prevented him from playing at the level to which he has been accustomed. He plans to return to his home in Omaha.

A third-round choice in this year's draft, Crouch was attempting to make the transition from quarterback to wide receiver and, despite battling through injuries in camp, Rams coach Mike Martz insisted the rookie would develop in time into a quality pass catcher. Crouch was more pragmatic about his chances at the new position.

Martz told The Associated Press on Wednesday night that Crouch informed him of his decision last Friday. Crouch did not make the trip to Denver for the team's regular-season opener Sunday and has not practiced with the team since then.

Martz has closed practices for the first three weeks of the season, and the Rams had not made an announcement.

"This has caught us all by surprise,'' Martz said. "He came in Friday and told me the news.''

Steiner said that Crouch first broached the possibility of retirement to him last Friday and emphasized that his client had discussed his decision with Martz and senior Rams officials.

"I was certainly surprised when he first told me about it," Steiner said. "We have talked about it for many hours and he is comfortable with the decision. Obviously, it was a difficult thing, but it's the right thing for him."

Crouch appeared in 42 games for the Cornhuskers and started 38 of them. He is one of only 13 players in college football history to both rush and pass for over 1,000 yards in a season. Crouch is one of only three players at the Division I-A level to throw for 4,000 yards and run for 3,000 yards in his career, and he also holds the NCAA career record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback.

In addition to the Heisman Trophy, he also captured the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award for 2001 and the Davey O'Brien Quarterback Award. He is the most decorated quarterback in Nebraska history and is one of the most prolific offensive players in recent history of the college game.

At Nebraska, Crouch completed 312 of 606 passes for 4,481 yards, with 29 touchdown passes and 25 interceptions. Crouch carried 648 times for 3,434 yards and scored 59 rushing touchdowns during his college career.

Crouch signed a three-year, $1.3 million contract that included a signing bonus of $395,000.


Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com

I dont buy the excuse. I live in Omaha so you can imagine the uproar this has caused

 

drapg - I just saw that in the other forum which was surprising since Eric didnt play for the Astros, Comets or Texans
Although now that I mention it, I would live for the Texans to pick him up

 

Just a quick update if anyone besides myself is interested....copied from our local paper "The Omaha World-Herald"

LINCOLN - If and when Eric Crouch returns to the football field, he'll do it as a quarterback.


Eric Crouch said at a press conference Thursday in Lincoln that after ankle surgery, he plans to stay in shape and "keep the door open" to possibly playing football again. He did not rule out going to the Canadian Football League.

That was one of the points Crouch made clear Thursday in his first meeting with reporters since Sept. 11, the day he announced his "retirement" from the National Football League without ever having played a game with the St. Louis Rams.

Crouch trying to make the transition from a Heisman Trophy-winning option quarterback at Nebraska to a wide receiver with the Rams. Leg injuries were slowing his development, but it was the inability to let go of his old position, Crouch said, that ultimately led to his shocking decision.

"I want to play quarterback," Crouch said. "I learned the hard way. I gave playing receiver a chance, and I learned that it wasn't for me.

"My best football is when I have the ball in my hands and I have some control over what happens. Someday if I come back, I want to have the ball in my hands."

Among other subjects that Crouch discussed in a 45-minute press conference at the Nebraska football complex were:

• His upcoming ankle surgery. He'll undergo an operation Oct. 11 on his left ankle to repair damage first sustained in high school. Crouch had surgery on his right ankle in 1997 when he was a redshirt freshman at Nebraska.

• His short-term future. Crouch said he'll stay in shape and "keep the door open" in regard to the possibility of playing football again. He did not rule out heading north to the Canadian Football League, although he said any discussion about playing anywhere is premature since the Rams hold his contract rights "forever."

• His long-term future. He said the would put the odds of returning to football at 50-50 at this point. He is exploring a number of career options should he decide to make his retirement permanent. He didn't rule out the possibility of coaching, although he said he is in no hurry of making any decisions. Said Crouch: "I'm not in a position or a bind where I need a job right now."

• His empathy for his former Nebraska teammates and their rough start to the 2002 football season. He said he had faith that the players and coaches would get things turned around. Asked if he had any advice for the Huskers, Crouch said it would be not to listen to talk radio.

"Now that I'm not playing, I find myself listening to the talk shows," Crouch said. "When I was playing, I was able to block all that stuff out. Now, I'm hearing a wide variety of opinions. Obviously, there's been some criticism with the way things are going."

In his talk-show sampling, Crouch has heard his name mentioned a time or two. Crouch's critics have labeled him a "quitter" for walking away from the Rams. Some people have tied his current situation to that of his sophomore season at Nebraska, when rumors surfaced that NU coaches had to talk Crouch out of quitting the team after he failed to win the starting quarterback job from Bobby Newcombe in preseason camp.

Crouch has denied quitting the team, although he admits that the incident forced him to re-evaluate his place at Nebraska. He replaced Newcombe two games into the 1999 season, and went on to become the most productive quarterback in school history.

As far as leaving the Rams, Crouch said, "I've never really been a quitter. I feel I gave it a fair opportunity, but the way I was playing at that position was not the way I was capable of playing. I felt that way almost from the beginning."

Crouch's health problems started to take a toll shortly after the Rams drafted him in the third round last April. He strained a hamstring in mini-camp, an injury that continued to nag him as he started training camp in July. The extra running a receiver is required to do put added pressure on his ankle.

Then, in his first preseason game against the Tennessee Titans, Crouch took a shot to the thigh that caused a deep bruise. His attempt to come back from the injury were slowed by swelling. He twice had to have the swelling drained, and he never made it back onto the playing field with the Rams.

Crouch repeatedly said Thursday that his priorities are to his family and to regaining his health.

"If I do decide to make a return, I wouldn't wait too long," Crouch said. "The time off really is against you. That's the one reason I need to get healthy first and to stay in shape. The decision to play again is something I'll need to do as soon as possible."

Crouch said he knows the Rams are not interested in giving him a chance to play quarterback. St. Louis Coach Mike Martz made it clear when the team picked him in the draft that it wanted him as a receiver.

"But there were some people who thought I could play quarterback," Crouch said. "There were about 30 percent of the clubs that thought I could. Thirty percent of the teams were interested in me as a receiver. Thirty percent were interested in me as a running back, and probably 10 percent of the teams just didn't know where I would fit in.

"So I do believe there is a place for me as a quarterback, either in the NFL or in Canada. But it's something we have not pursued yet."

Nor is there any guarantee that he would, even if he could get the Rams to release him and get another team interested in him.

"It's not something that's 100 percent at this time," Crouch said. "I'd really love to give it a try. It would be something that would have be talked about with my family and other people."

Crouch said he's already heard from "people" affiliated with NFL and Canadian teams who have told him he might have a future at the quarterback position.

"There are people who have told me I can play quarterback at this level," he said.

While that is important, Crouch said, he's also not going to spend the spend the rest of his days trying to prove his critics wrong.

"I've always been a guy who looks forward instead of looking back," Crouch said. "I really feel comfortable with where I'm at right now. I'm happy. I feel like this is the right decision. It's the right thing to do at this time in my life. I'm just going to leave my options open."


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I`m not sure what your point is. Eric isnt even looking for a job at this point.

 

He isnt exactly Dan Marino, but he`s got a decent arm . The major thing Eric brings to the team is his leadership. I wish he would have been given the chance to at least try to play QB but that wasnt even an option {excuse the pun}
I look at Eric to fit in the mold of guys like Doug Flutie, undersized with huge hearts. I guess only time will tell if he gets a chance to show what he can do, and I hope the Rams give him a chance to go to the CFL and see what develops.