CORAL GABLES – Miami junior wide receiver and Palm Beach County high school football alum Ahmmon Richards’ football career is over.
The Miami Herald first reported this past Saturday night that the Wellington native’s career is over due to a disabling neck injury.
The Hurricanes have leaned on Richards in more ways than one when it came to the passing game. Richards has been a cog in the Miami offense since his freshman year of college.
This isn’t the first time tragedy has struck for a Miami starter as cornerback Malek Young was dealt the same fate in last year’s Orange Bowl.
There has been a outpouring of support for the Palm Beach County native as his former high school tweeted out about the greatness Richards brought to Wellington Wolverines football program.
“We are big fans of
@AhmmonR2 As one of the finest student-athletes in @wellyfb history, our faculty & staff can attest to his good-natured personality & remarkable maturity. Ahmmon’s future prospects remain bright, and we will continue to root for him.”
Richard tweeted from his personal account, “from the HEART I appreciate all of my fans.”
Even in the midst of what seems to be a tragedy, Richards has his head held high during trying times.
“I’m extremely appreciative of the University’s athletic training and medical staffs for diagnosing this injury, and to the football coaches and staff for always putting my health first,” Richards said to Hurricanesports.com.
“I plan to continue working towards my degree at UM and look forward to the next chapter in my life.”
Fellow Miami teammate and sophomore running back DeeJay Dallas took the announcement very hard.
“We kind of knew something was going on but we didn’t know what it really was,” Dallas told media members earlier this week. “Then once they said he has to retire because of a neck injury, I was shocked. He had so much potential. He was a dominant player on the field. When he was on the field, I feel like one or two people could not cover him. You have to put a safety, linebacker and a corner on him to stop him.”
Dallas had more to say on the matter.
“It’s sad, man, and I cried,” Dallas said. “That really hurt. Ahmmon was my host on my official visit. I feel like that’s why it stung so much to me. He meant so much to me as a brother and as a teammate.”
MIami senior offensive lineman Tyler Gauthier saw Richards as a huge asset to the team.
“It’s sad and it breaks your heart,” Gauthier said to media members on Tuesday. “You guys know Ahmmon was a first-round talent and he’s a first round person. He was a light to the room, and on bad days he would step up. He is a heck of a player. I am sure Ahmmon is going to do great in his life no matter what he does because that is his personality.”
Miami redshirt senior running back Trayone Gray looked at the Richards situation from a different perspective.
“I feel bad because Ahmmon is such a great player,” Gray told media members after Tuesday’s practice session. “He could’ve had a bright future going to the next level. But for It’s going to be good because he’ll be around and still show us support and we are going to be here for him. We just got to play for Ahmmon.”
In 22 total games played over three season for the Hurricanes, Richards caught 74 passes for 1,382 yards and six touchdowns. The Palm Beach County young legend earned Freshman All-America and second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors in 2016, breaking Michael Irvin’s school record for receiving yards by a freshman with 934.
Miami head coach and Boca Raton native Mark Richt had the last word on the official current status of Richards.
“While we share in Ahmmon’s disappointment that his football career is over, his health must be the top priority,” Richt told Hurricanesports.com on Sunday. “Ahmmon will remain on full scholarship and we will continue to support him as a member of the Hurricanes family.”
