Bills center Eric Wood will retire from the NFL because of a neck injury, multiple outlets reported Friday.
Scout Fantasy Sports was first to report the news, which was confirmed by ESPN and other outlets. The extent of the injury was unclear, but ESPN and WGNZ characterized it as a condition that has worsened over time.
Bills’ center Eric Wood’s career-ending neck injury is partly due to wear and tear, but one source characterized it as a “complicated medical situation.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 26, 2018
Wood, 31, has spent his entire nine-year NFL career with the Bills after they selected him with the 28th overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft out of Louisville.
Wood initially played right guard in Buffalo but has been the team's center since the 2011 season, making the Pro Bowl in 2015.
He saw his 2009 and 2016 seasons end prematurely due to broken legs but has been a reliable cog for the Bills, who signed him to a two-year extension through 2019 last August.
