Billy Price, a former first-round draft pick to the Cincinnati Bengals, has announced his retirement from the National Football League (NFL) due to a non-sports-related medical condition.
“On April 24th, I had emergency pulmonary embolism surgery to remove a saddle clot that was entering both of my lungs. As a healthy 29-year-old, an unprovoked pulmonary embolism with no further medical explanation is terrifying. I am truly thankful to be alive today,” he continued.
Mr. Price explained that the main reason for his abrupt retirement from the league was because doctors prescribed him to take blood thinner drugs.
“The risk of an internal bleed while on blood thinners creates tremendous risk,” the pro footballer said.
Looking back on his career that spanned six seasons with some of the most influential teams in NFL history, Mr. Price expressed gratitude for the opportunities he had playing football in “some of the greatest atmospheres around the world.”
“I am thankful to have trained and played alongside men who will continue to make Pro Bowls, All-Pro Rosters, and Hall of Fame recognitions,” the Ohio native said.
Mr. Price dedicated his football accomplishments to his wife’s sacrifices over the years, saying his NFL career would not have been possible without her “continued love and support.”
Career
Mr. Price was taken as the 21st overall pick in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, where he played for three seasons from 2018 through 2021, appearing in all 16 games during the 2019 season.After the Bengals declined Mr. Price’s fifth-year option on his contract, he was traded to the New York Giants in exchange for defensive tackle B. J. Hill.
In his lone season with the Giants, Mr. Price started 15 games in the 2021 season.
Mr. Price last played in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals during the 2022 season, where he started center in all 11 games he appeared in.
In June 2023, he signed as a backup for the New Orleans Saints but was released about a month later without appearing in any game.
He then signed with the Dallas Cowboys’s practice squad before his contract with the team expired when their season ended in January.
Throughout his entire NFL career, Mr. Price played a total of 69 career games.
During his time at Austintown Fitch High School in Ohio, he played defensive lineman and was named First-Team All-State and Division I Co-Defensive Player of the Year.
Mr. Price’s college career started at Ohio State in 2013, where he set the school records for both starts and consecutive starts by starting all 55 games from 2014 to 2017.
In 2017, he won the Rimington Trophy as the country’s most outstanding collegiate center and was also named unanimous first-team All-American.
