Concussions force KU offensive lineman Jordan Shelley-Smith to retire from football

Kansas offensive lineman Jordan Shelley-Smith has retired from football because of concussions, coach David Beaty announced Tuesday.

Shelley-Smith, a senior from Waco, Texas, played in 30 career games, which included a start at left tackle against Memphis this season.

“It was a very emotional day for him last week when he announced that to our team,” Beaty said. “But he's still a very big part of what we do, and he's done a lot for this university and for us. Man, he's just a great kid, and I'm really happy that he's going to have a really good life moving forward.”

Shelley-Smith isn’t the first KU football player to make this decision. Last season, starting linebacker Jake Love and offensive lineman Joey Bloomfield both announced they were retiring from football following concussion-related issues.

KU offensive line coach Zach Yenser said Shelley-Smith will remain with the team in a mentor-like role.

“He wants to be around. I want him to be around our guys,” Yenser said. “He’s really good for our room, really good for our team and great for our locker room, whether he’s playing or not.”

This story was originally published October 4, 2016 at 7:25 PM with the headline "Concussions force KU offensive lineman Jordan Shelley-Smith to retire from football."