Florida Announces Offensive Tackle Rod Johnson's Career Is over Due to Injury

A life-threatening spine condition has ended the career of Florida offensive lineman Roderick Johnson, the school announced Tuesday.

Johnson, a redshirt sophomore from Delray Beach, Florida, was diagnosed by team medical staff with congenital cervical stenosis, a condition that causes narrowing of the spinal canal and can prevent fluid from protecting the spinal cord. This was discovered after Johnson suffered a "stinger" injury during a scrimmage on April 3, per Scott Carter of GatorZone.com.

Numbness in his fingers and hands prevented Johnson from participating in Florida's final week of spring practice, or in Saturday's Orange & Blue Debut spring game.

"One thing I'll tell you this about any player: I will never, ever put him out there in harm's way," Florida coach Jim McElwain said following the spring game, per Carter.

According to Carter, a similar condition ended the career of New York Giants running back David Wilson last year, and it also led to Cooper Manning (brother of Eli and Peyton Manning) to retire from football while playing at Ole Miss.

Current and former teammates took to Twitter to react to Johnson's retirement, including ex-Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel, who's now at Louisiana Tech:

The 6'6", 296-pound Johnson started three games at right tackle last season for the Gators, including against Alabama and in the Birmingham Bowl against East Carolina. He played in all 12 games in 2014 and was expected to compete for a starting job this fall, but with his retirement Florida's already thin and inexperienced line becomes even more depleted.

Florida had only eight scholarship offensive linemen on the roster this spring, only three of whom had any significant experience, as four main starters from 2014 either graduated or turned pro early.

The Gators add several big bodies this summer, including 5-star tackle Martez Ivey, but for the time being protection up front remains an even bigger concern than the quarterback battle between sophomore Treon Harris and redshirt freshman Will Grier. 

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.