Malcom Floyd neck injury could be career ending

The veteran Chargers wideout is unsure if he’ll be able to return to the game after a violent hit back in September left him with a spinal injury.

by Jeff Gray

Jan 17, 2014, 1:54 PM UTC

Rich Schultz

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Back in September, a neck injury ended Malcom Floyd's season. Now it's threatening the 32-year-old receiver's career.

A hard hit in Week 2 left the San Diego Chargers wideout with a spinal disk issue, and according to the San Diego Union Tribune, doctors have told him it's potentially career-ending. They've also told him players have returned to the game with the same injury. An appointment next month should provide more clarity on Floyd's future, he said.

In the meantime, he’s rehabbing and remains optimistic that he’ll one day return to the field.

“I definitely want to play again,” said Floyd, who still wears a neck brace to bed four months after the hit. “I definitely do. I’m getting better steadily, and if my body allows me to play, I’m going to do it. ... If not, then yeah, I need to hang it up. It won’t do anything positive. It won’t help out me or the team.

“This city deserves a championship, regardless,” continued Floyd, who has spent all 10 of his NFL seasons in San Diego. “That’s what I’m coming to play for. I feel like I owe the city a lot. You can only do what you can do and control what you can control.”

Playing against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 15, Floyd took a hard shot after grabbing a pass over the middle of the field. Eagles linebacker DeMeco Ryans, who was later fined $21,000 for an illegal hit, met Floyd with a jarring blow to the crown of the helmet. Floyd was carted off the field and was briefly hospitalized.

“As soon I got hit, my limbs went limp,” Floyd said shortly after the inury. “It seems like those prayers were answered because I could be in a wheelchair right now. I’m up and walking and ready to get better every day.”

He was placed on season-ending injured reserve two weeks later.