Luke Kuechly, Thomas Davis reunite as each takes next step in post-playing career
Luke Kuechly was grinning from ear-to-ear.
The future Hall of Famer was sitting next to his former teammate, Thomas Davis, and reminiscing about old times in front of a crowd.
There were stories shared about competing against each other on the field and Kuechly doubting Davis’ abilities when he first saw him on the field, coming off of a third ACL injury. The jokes were frequent and the connection between the two leading tacklers in team history was obvious, as it was on the field.
The recently retired players gathered at The Charlotte Touchdown Club luncheon Thursday in uptown Charlotte to speak about their time as Panthers.
When Davis retired in March, signing a one-day contract, he did it alongside former tight end Greg Olsen. Olsen was also scheduled to speak, but was absent due to the health of his 8-year-old son, TJ, who may need a heart transplant.
“It’s extremely tough. I sent Greg a couple text messages to let him know we’re praying for TJ and the entire family,” Davis said. “We just know how resilient TJ is and how hard he’s fought his entire life. With the good doctors they have at the Levine Children’s Hospital, we know they’re going to take good care of him and just really continue to pray for Greg and the family.”
Thursday’s luncheon helped raise $10,000 for Olsen’s charity, The HEARTest Yard, which provides healthcare support and services to ease the transition from the hospital to home for families of babies born with congenital heart disease.
Of the group, Kuechly was the first to retire and the only one of the three not currently pursuing a career tied to football. The linebacker described why for the first time since being drafted ninth overall in 2012, he wouldn’t be spending his falls inside the Carolina Panthers facility for hours on end.
“I think a lot of people know I like the outdoors, I love to hunt and fish, and a lot of that has to do with the fall. So ... it’s kind of hard to, it’s hard to do both,” said Kuechly, as the audience laughed in response.
After suddenly retiring from playing football at age 28 with eight seasons under his belt, Kuechly had remained with the Panthers organization as a pro scout up until March of this year.
Kuechly also shared why the decision was made to step away, at least for now, from any job in football. And yes, that includes a playing career.
“I played football for my whole life, and I love the game, I love everything about it and I love the Panthers organization,” Kuechly said. “But it’s just one of those things. There’s a couple things I want to cross off and hopefully have a chance to hit this year.”
When word first came out that Kuechly was no longer with the team, there was concern from fans that the decision was tied to his health, unhappiness with the organization or a variety of other negative reasons. A significant part of the reason why he originally retired was because of the multiple concussions he suffered.
“I couldn’t have been more excited and more happy to hear that he was retiring when he did,” Davis said about the player he once thought had been drafted to replace him. “Just dealing with everything that he had gone through from a head trauma standpoint. We know the repercussions and the things that come from that. I don’t think I even told (Kuechly) that, man, but I’m extremely proud of what you’ve been able to do as a player and as a person.”
(Cue a loud “aww” from those in attendance.)
But in the now-30-year-old’s own words, it was more about the positives; getting the chance to step back and do the things that he has never had a chance to do before. Experience the things that people who aren’t tied to strict fall football schedules have the freedom to do.
He is not necessarily ruling out a future career in personnel or in another football-related position, although he did share that transition from watching different teams’ schemes to now focusing on players specifically was an adjustment.
“It was a lot of fun. You think you understand the game and what goes into building rosters and transactions and week-to-week buildup of rosters during the season, but until you get upstairs, you don’t really realize all that goes into it,” Kuechly said.
Entering broadcasting or coaching careers were also possibilities for Kuechly before joining the Panthers as a pro scout but he does not plan on rushing into anything new.
“I was so worried about eating and sleeping, working out, did I drink enough water, when am I going to eat again and my weight,” Kuechly said when asked by reporters what he’s most excited about in his post-football life. “Now, I’m going to eat when I want to, I’m going to sleep when I want to. I still enjoy a workout, I’ve lost a bunch of weight.”
Davis, who co-owns an arena football team, the Charlotte Thunder, is pursuing a career in broadcasting — he has an audition with the SEC Network soon — but admitted it was a little hard to see all the other players returning to the field for organized team activities this month. The aches of his body were a good reminder, however, that he made the right decision.
He spent his final season in Washington with coach Ron Rivera, only appearing in seven games, and described the experience succinctly, “Washington definitely gave me all the closure that I needed.”
The days in Panthers uniforms, however, were looked back on fondly, but this conversation was far from a final bow. With another grin, Kuechly was quick to correct a question of what it was like to spend some quality time with Davis, one last time.
“Well hopefully not the last time.”
This story was originally published May 27, 2021 at 6:32 PM with the headline "Luke Kuechly, Thomas Davis reunite as each takes next step in post-playing career."
