Buffalo Bills center Eric Wood has a neck injury that will force the nine-year veteran to retire, he announced via Twitter on Friday.
Wood tweeted that he was initially diagnosed with the injury in his season-ending physical and that team doctor Andrew Cappuccino and other physicians said he will not be cleared to play football, regardless of whether he undergoes surgery or other treatment.
I was diagnosed with a neck injury as part of my season-ending physical with the Bills. After consultation with Dr. Cappuccino and other physicians, I was informed that I was no longer cleared to play football, even with surgery or further treatment.
— Eric Wood (@EWood70) January 26, 2018
I appreciate and thank everyone for their thoughts, concerns and prayers, and I will shed more light on the situation at a press conference on Monday at the team facility.
— Eric Wood (@EWood70) January 26, 2018
Wood, who was the only Bills offensive player to be on the field for every snap in 2017, wrote that he will address the injury further at a news conference Monday.
The neck injury is partly due to wear and tear, but a source characterized it to ESPN's Adam Schefter as a "complicated medical situation."
The 31-year-old Wood has spent his entire career with the Bills, starting all 120 games he has played after being a first-round pick in the 2009 NFL draft. He is second to defensive tackle Kyle Williams among Buffalo's longest-tenured active players and has served as a team captain.
Bills guard Richie Incognito called Wood's planned retirement "a huge loss" for the team.
"He's had a lot to do with my career, especially lately in Buffalo," Incognito said. "When I found out I was going to go for the interview with the [team-owning] Pegulas, E-Wood was one of the first [people] I told. But, yeah, he's been instrumental in me coming back in the league and re-establishing myself. E-Wood provided that friendly face in the locker room and that kind of cover for me to be myself. He's really instrumental in all my success I've had the last couple years."
Incognito said he has spoken with Wood and noted that his teammate was already putting a positive spin on the injury.
A Pro Bowl selection in 2015, Wood signed a two-year contract extension in August that ran through the 2019 season. He has an $8.6 million cap number in 2018 that includes a $4.8 million base salary that is guaranteed for injury.
"We think he's still playing well," general manager Brandon Beane said in August. "We think he's a leader up front, not only on the O-line but on the offense. He's a guy that we feel is part of what we're doing going forward."
The Bills extended Wood's contract last year after they matched the Los Angeles Rams' offer sheet for restricted free agent Ryan Groy, who started the final seven games of the 2016 season after Wood fractured his leg.
Groy, 27, would be the top candidate on the roster to replace Wood in 2018.