Retired Jayhawk Jordan Shelley-Smith says hits started to ‘feel different’

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas offensive lineman Jordan Shelley-Smith (79) sits on the sidelines during the Jayhawks' 55-23 loss to Memphis on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015 at Memorial Stadium.

Big frame, quick feet, switching from tight end to offensive tackle. At the time Jordan Shelley-Smith made that move, the possibility of him following a path to the NFL the way former Jayhawk Tanner Hawkinson did hung in the air.

That dream officially died when Shelley-Smith announced to the rest of the University of Kansas football team on Sept. 26 that he was retiring from football.

His concussion symptoms returned after he played in the 43-7 loss at Memphis, which set in motion a chain of discussions that led to him ending his football career, although he still will attend meetings, practices and games.

First, he told the medical staff, asked a series of questions and then discussed the answers with his fiance, Becca Strecker. After that chat, he made the call.

“It was just kind of a thing where there are bigger things, as much as we don’t want to think about there are bigger things than football, there are,” Shelley-Smith said Thursday. “It’s only a percentage of your life, even if you go to the NFL. It’s a very small portion of your life, so there’s a lot to it, as much as you love the game and I still love the game as much as I did a week or five years ago. I still loved it as much, it was just me and her deciding, from my future health standpoint, it was best to do this and this was just the right time to do it.”

Shelley-Smith earned a business degree from KU in supply-chain management last spring, “so I’ll be looking into that field to enter the big-boy world after this semester.”

He said he is symptom-free and looking forward to helping teammates in any way he can.

Shelley-Smith, a native of Waco, Texas, expressed gratitude toward Beaty for letting him partake in team activities and to the medical staff for encouraging all the players to share all their health issues.

“Ever since I’ve been here they’ve been the type of staff that isn’t going to condemn you for having an injury or having a concussion,” Shelley-Smith said. “They’re going to listen to you, they’re going to listen to your health because they want you to perform at your best. If you’re not a hundred percent, they’re going to want to know so they can get you back there.”

Shelley-Smith suffered a concussion last season during the Oklahoma State game. He said he began having headaches during fall camp.

“The headaches got a little more progressive and it got more uncomfortable,” he said. “It became where it was occurring more often. It didn’t look as if any amount of time I sat out with my eligibility left it was going to allow me to come back and compete.”

When the symptoms returned after the Memphis game, he said, “It made me very nervous.” He said that as a lineman he hit every day in practice and “the hits just started to feel different.”

Shelley-Smith said that if he ever becomes a father to a son or sons he would not discourage them from playing football.

After his meeting with reporters inside the media relations office in the football complex, he hurried down the hall to attend an offensive line meeting. His head and heart still are invested in college football, but his body didn’t quite make it to the finish line.