After retiring from the NFL, several former players have turned to careers in orthopedic and spine surgery or other specialties, with some even serving the teams they played for.
Here are seven NFL players turned musculoskeletal specialists:
Mark Adickes, MD, is an orthopedic surgeon in Houston. He pursued a career in orthopedics after leaving the NFL, inspired by his own orthopedic injuries. Dr. Adickes spent 10 years of his professional career dealing with pain from sports and now treats patients through the lens of experience as an elite athlete. During his NFL career, he played as an offensive lineman for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Washington Redskins.
William McColl Jr., MD, is an orthopedic surgeon in San Diego. He has over 67 years of experience in the medical field since retiring from the Chicago Bears in 1959.
Jean-Philippe Darche, MD, is a sports medicine specialist who earned his degree after playing in the NFL for nine years. He played for both the Seattle Seahawks and the Kansas City Chiefs. Now, Dr. Darche serves as a team physician for the Chiefs.
James Bradley, MD, is an orthopedic surgeon in Pittsburgh, and has been the head team orthopedic surgeon for the Pittsburgh Steelers for 33 years. He also served a tenure as president of the NFL Physician's Society. Dr. Bradley played as a defensive back on the Penn State football team throughout college before being invited for a trial with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Myron Rolle, MD, is a neurosurgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He was recruited to play for the Tennessee Titans in 2010 and later signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Dan Fortmann, MD, is a late orthopedic surgeon who was selected to play for the Chicago Bears in the first ever NFL draft in 1936. He later went to medical school while playing in the NFL, earning his MD in 1940 and practicing orthopedic surgery.
Gregory Primus, MD, is an orthopedic surgeon in Chicago who previously played three seasons in the NFL for the Chicago Bears and the Denver Broncos. He founded his own practice in Chicago to help work with and treat injured athletes.