Packers waived OLB Jeremy Thompson.

[packers11]

https://www.rotoworld.com

Packers waived OLB Jeremy Thompson.

A fourth-round pick in 2008, Thompson will be forced to retire due to numerous spinal cord concussions. "I have consulted with a number of physicians, and due to my medical condition my intention is to retire from football," he confirmed. The 24-year-old's career ends after 15 games and nine tackles.

[packers11]

packers just released official statement:

The Green Bay Packers have released LB Jeremy Thompson due to medical concerns, Executive Vice President, General Manager and Director of Football Operations Ted Thompson announced Monday.

Jeremy Thompson played in 15 games over the 2008-09 seasons, making 15 tackles from scrimmage and three stops on special teams.

"I have consulted with a number of physicians, and due to my medical condition my intention is to retire from football," Jeremy Thompson said. "I am thankful to the Packers organization and to the fans for their support during my time in Green Bay. The Packers are a first-class organization and I want to thank them for the opportunity to play in the NFL. There truly is no team I would have rather played for."

Good luck to him in the future...

On another note the OLB position just got a little weaker (depth wise)

Brad Jones (OLB)
Clay Matthews (OLB)
Cyril Obiozor (OLB)
Brady Poppinga (OLB)

[Gunakor]

JT didn't offer much to the depth of that group anyways. Jones and Matthews will be starting, Pop has starting experience, and Obi has tremendous upside that everyone is hopeful for. I think the depth is fine there.

[rbaloha1]

JT didn't offer much to the depth of that group anyways. Jones and Matthews will be starting, Pop has starting experience, and Obi has tremendous upside that everyone is hopeful for. I think the depth is fine there.

Poop does not count. Yes, Obi has great upside but depth imo is still an issue. If Thomas or one of the fa emerge -- aloha no instincts Poop.

[Gunakor]

JT didn't offer much to the depth of that group anyways. Jones and Matthews will be starting, Pop has starting experience, and Obi has tremendous upside that everyone is hopeful for. I think the depth is fine there.

Poop does not count. Yes, Obi has great upside but depth imo is still an issue. If Thomas or one of the fa emerge -- aloha no instincts Poop.

Pop counts if only because he has a few years starting experience.

I'm all for giving Thomas a look. Brad Jones should be stating instead of Pop if we can't get Thomas to sign with us. But Pop is still a valuable backup in that LB corps, because we don't have anybody else in reserve there with any game experience at all.

[Lurker64]

Poppinga does indeed count. He's pretty decent in coverage, and his bull-rush isn't bad. He doesn't have any other pass rush moves to speak of, but his effort is top notch.

[pbmax]

Poppinga does indeed count. He's pretty decent in coverage, and his bull-rush isn't bad. He doesn't have any other pass rush moves to speak of, but his effort is top notch.

His instincts (or lack thereof) do hurt him though. He kept crashing down the LOS (to his left) on runs when he should have been containing and he would get caught up in the garabge and be unable to stop the RB from cutting back to the other side of the formation (Pop's right) and getting free.

Hopefully, another year and that will stop. I didn't see it as much when he was relieving Jones on the Left side, but he played much less and I did not see it happen in replays.

[Guiness]

Good luck to JT, and I hope he got out before doing damage that will affect the rest of his life.

Sad to see him go, there were certainly high hopes for him. I'm guessing some years down the road he and his brother Orin will be sitting back somewhere chatting about their time spent with the Packers!

[KYPack]

He is forced to retire bc of an injury?

How in the hell did he get hurt?

All his hits put together wouldn't make a highlight tape. I never remember the guy nailing anyone.

[vince]

It happened in practice late last year KY. He was in a tackling drill with Kregg Lumpkin. Spinal injury - the same as Murphy from a few years back.

[vince]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4714304

December 9, 2009

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Jeremy Thompson was hospitalized for testing Friday after suffering a neck injury in a collision with running back Kregg Lumpkin during practice.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy said Thompson remained conscious after the neck stinger. Thompson, a second-year player out of Wake Forest who plays primarily on special teams, missed the Packers' first two preseason games because of a shoulder stinger earlier this year.

McCarthy would not initially say whether Thompson was able to move his extremities, but the Packers said in a statement Friday evening that Thompson did not experience any paralysis.

The team classified the injury as a neck sprain and said Thompson would be kept overnight at Bellin Hospital for rest and further evaluation.

Lumpkin said he could see Thompson moving his feet after the two collided on a play.

"I got the ball, I saw an open lane and I cut back, and that's when I saw Jeremy in the hole," Lumpkin said. "I didn't lower my head or anything, but his head hit my shoulder pad. When that happened, he just said, 'Oh no!' And he fell on the ground. After that, I was just standing there (asking), 'What really just happened?'

"I just was hoping he'd get back up, and he didn't."

Lumpkin, a member of the Packers' practice squad, was visibly shaken up by the incident, which comes three days before Monday night's home game against Baltimore.

"Just the other week, we were talking -- about a lot of stuff, about how things happen," Lumpkin said. "I had no clue that it would happen like this, or that anything would happen today. It's messing with my head. Me and him are close, we talk about a lot of stuff. It's tough to say 'I'm all right.' That's somebody I talk to on a regular basis. If he's still in the hospital [after meetings], I'm going to go over there."

Rookie linebacker Clay Matthews III was optimistic Thompson can recover quickly.

"Hopefully he can come back from that just with a little time off, let it just settle down, and get right back out there," Matthews said. "Hopefully it's not as serious as we thought. But we're all praying for him to have a speedy recovery."

Thompson has been getting more snaps on defense in the wake of a season-ending knee injury to Aaron Kampman.

With Matthews starting on the right side, rookie Brad Jones has played the majority of snaps in Kampman's place on the left side, but Thompson and Brady Poppinga have been playing as well.

"He's definitely in the game plan this week, so I know I'm going to have to gear up to take a majority of those reps, especially with him and Brady spelling both Brad and I," Matthews said. "But I look forward to the challenge, I think the whole team does. Any time you have an injury like that where a player stays down, it really takes a toll."

[Lurker64]

He is forced to retire bc of an injury?

How in the hell did he get hurt?

All his hits put together wouldn't make a highlight tape. I never remember the guy nailing anyone.

He had spinal stenosis to begin with. It makes him unusually susceptible to injuries like he got repeatedly (stingers, burners, spinal cord concussions, etc.) I wonder if that showed up in the medical eval during the combine.

[Scott Campbell]

That's a guy that Ted traded up for.

[mission]

Wish him the best... it's too bad.

That's a guy that Ted traded up for.

Fire Ted.

[Lurker64]

Well, he was drafted to play the "Joker" defensive end in the Bates defense (think Jason Taylor in Miami when Bates was their DC), a position that his measureables make him pretty ideally suited for. He also looked great in shorts. He just didn't have the aggression that you wanted when you put pads on him, which in retrospect makes sense since his body might have subconsciously understood that his central nervous system really doesn't care for collision.