Jacksonville Jaguars star Telvin Smith is sitting out the 2019 season, and nobody seems to have any idea why.
The talented linebacker announced the news on Instagram Thursday, and stated, in part, “At this time, I must take time away from this game [and] get my world in order. I must give this time back to myself, my family [and] my health.”
It’s not clear at all at this time what the problem might be for Smith. You can read his whole post below in a screenshot from Adam Schefter.
Jaguars’ LB Telvin Smith announced he will not play football in 2019. pic.twitter.com/GHCMhXmDQb
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 9, 2019
The Jaguars also didn’t seem to be in the talking mood when it came to the situation and said in a statement, “We will not have a comment about Telvin Smith’s statement at this time. We need to have a conversation with Telvin to understand the situation and the circumstances. If there is a way we can support him we need to understand that.”
Jaguars’ statement:
“We will not have a comment about Telvin Smith’s statement at this time. We need to have a conversation with Telvin to understand the situation and the circumstances.
“If there is a way we can support him we need to understand that.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 9, 2019
This is such a bizarre situation all the way around. Telvin Smith is one of best players on the Jaguars and will give up nearly $10 million if he sits out the year.
I can’t find a single thing online about any publicly known problems, and judging from the Jaguars statement, the team had absolutely no idea this was coming.
.@Jaguars LB Telvin Smith announces he won’t play football in 2019 season. pic.twitter.com/wg8IiPXdax
— NFL (@NFL) May 9, 2019
Let’s all hope he figures out whatever he’s struggling with and bounces back stronger than ever. It sounds like it’s not a great situation. Given how much money he’s leaving on the table, I have to imagine it’s pretty serious for him to just walk away without any kind of warning at all.
Spoken into existence.@TelvinSmith_22 | #DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/kioB1zsDJH
— #DUUUVAL (@Jaguars) December 24, 2018
Stay tuned for more updates when we have them on this bizarre and unexpected situation.