NFL OT Jared Veldheer confirms retirement after suspension

Free-agent offensive tackle Jared Veldheer came close to making NFL history in January. Instead, he will end his career on the suspended list. 

ESPN's Field Yates reported earlier in the day that the 33-year-old was banned from participating in the first six games of the 2021 regular season. While Yates didn't elaborate on what triggered the punishment, Veldheer instead explained what happened while also confirming his retirement. 

"I was prescribed low dose clomid due to abnormally low T (likely caused from pituitary damage suffered from repeated blows to the head)," he wrote in a statement shared by Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. "I recommend this to any veteran who is struggling from post-football issues. I also plan to retire, at this time, from the NFL." 

Veldheer nearly became the first player to feature for two teams during the same postseason after the Green Bay Packers signed him off the Indianapolis Colts' practice squad following Indianapolis' playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills. However, he was reportedly ruled ineligible after he tested positive for COVID-19 and never played for Green Bay. 

He had appeared in just three regular-season games since the end of the 2018 campaign before Thursday's developments.