Vikings' Kenechi Udeze Retires: A Sad Yet Inspiring Story Gets Lost in Shuffle

Kenechi Udeze, a former first-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 2004, has decided to retire.

Players retire from the NFL every year, and a lot of the time we don't even notice except for maybe a passing story.

However, this retirement is as heartbreaking as you'll ever find.

Udeze was forced to sit out the 2008 season after being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. However, Udeze decided to return to the field after a year of rehab, bone marrow transplants, and other treatments.

"I'd be lying if I said it was easy," Udeze said back in late May at Minnesota's OTA's. "There was never an easy point. The first time I went back to USC and started working out with the fellas, I fell."

"I took two steps and I fell. I took small steps at first and, to where I am now, I can't complain."

At the time, Udeze was fresh off a bone marrow transplant and a biopsy. He showed incredible strength and willpower to simply be standing, let alone out on a football field.

"That's where they go in and take a little piece of your bone marrow and it hurts the day after," Udeze said. "Like I said, I've seen children deal with what I'm dealing with. And if they can deal with it, then I shouldn't make any complaints."

Udeze never complained about his condition. He never just sat down, gave up, and asked, "Why me? Why me?" like some would do. And you know what; I don't think I could blame anyone who would. Leukemia is a terrible disease to deal with, and could certainly be enough to break a man down.

But Udeze was a fighter. He was determined to beat his illness and make his way back onto the football field where he felt he belonged, and he did just that.

That is, until Wednesday, July 29th when he decided that he simply could no longer pursue an NFL career any longer.

He has not been available for comment, although I'm sure with the decision of Brett Favre conquering the news, and regarding the same team, not many people are beating down his door for comment.

However, while this is a sad day for Udeze in terms of his football career, he can always appreciate that he was able to play in the NFL, no matter how short his time, and that he has received a new lease on life.

With the recent death of great men like Jim Johnson and Harry Kalas, that new lease on life is certainly a far richer reward than any NFL contract.

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