Bills wide receiver Percy Harvin didn’t travel to London for his team’s game against the Jaguars, leading most to assume that he stayed home because of his lingering hip injury. Head coach Rex Ryan raised some eyebrows, however, when he said that Harvin was missing the London game due to “personal reasons.” According to Vic Carruci of the Buffalo News, those personal reasons include mulling retirement:
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Harvin is indeed frustrated with constantly being injured, but that he is not considering retirement:
NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport followed on:
Whether or not retirement is a legitimate consideration at this point, it sure sounds like Harvin is taking a step back from the game. It’s hard to blame the guy if he’s feeling a bit existential right now, because he’s been one of the most snake-bitten players in the league since getting drafted by the Vikings in the first round of the 2009 draft.
Injuries kept him out of 10 games during his first four years in the league, and cost him his entire season save for one game and the Super Bowl after he was traded to Seattle in 2013. Since then he’s had two fresh starts with the Jets and Bills, and neither have worked out.
Whatever happens with Harvin from here, at least he’ll always be remembered for that Super Bowl kickoff return, and also as the guy who beat up Golden Tate and Doug Baldwin.