Canales Reveals Why Rashaad Penny Chose to Retire

The 28-year-old running back is calling it a career.

Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Tuesday morning, the Carolina Panthers shockingly announced that veteran running back Rashaad Penny had retired. The 28-year-old signed a one-year deal with the Panthers this offseason and had spent five years in Seattle with head coach Dave Canales and offensive coordinator Brad Idzik. He approached Canales about his decision to hang up his cleats yesterday afternoon, Canales told reporters.

“It was a really cool opportunity for me to see if we could get him to that kind of look. I know Rashaad at his best. He came up and just felt like he wasn’t himself and I had to respect that going forward. I don’t understand what that’s like to have a feel, a vision, and wanting your body to do exactly what you tell it to do and it just not responding the right way. I was glad to be a part of this process with him just because I’ve known him for so long and I wish Rashaad the best.”

Penny dealt with numerous injuries throughout his career which prevented him from being a true feature back. When healthy, he was a very effective runner who averaged 5.6 yards per carry. In six NFL seasons, Penny rushed for 1,951 yards and 13 touchdowns on 348 carries. Just last week, he told Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer that when he is healthy that he is one of the top running backs in league.

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