Jets' Cameron Clark Retiring from NFL over Risk of Paralysis from Spinal-Cord Injury

New York Jets offensive lineman Cameron Clark missed all of 2021 because of a spinal-cord injury suffered in training camp, and now it will cause his football career to come to an end.

"Based on the advice of Dr. Andrew Hecht, a prominent orthopedic surgeon at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York, Cameron will not be able to continue to play football for the New York Jets," Clark's agent, Alan Herman, told Rich Cimini of ESPN.

The 24-year-old was told he would risk paralysis if he continued to play football.

Clark was a fourth-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft, but he never saw a regular-season snap in two years with the Jets.

The Charlotte alum suffered shoulder and knee injuries during his first training camp and spent his rookie season on injured reserve. His second season was lost just six days into training camp.

Clark was motionless on the ground after suffering a neck injury during a rep at the Aug. 3 practice before being taken away in an ambulance. Doctors at Morristown Medical Center told the team he suffered a spinal cord contusion but was expected to make a full recovery.

"It's never good because football goes away at that moment," head coach Robert Saleh said after the practice. "It's about the person, his family, his mom and everything in his life. So that's what takes precedence at that moment. Football kind of goes away. You get empathy in the sense that we all have families. Everything's going to be good."

In November, Saleh provided a positive update on the offensive lineman.

"He's coming along fine," the coach told reporters. "He's got a little road to travel, but he's coming along good."

However, the injury turned out to be severe enough to cost Clark his NFL career.