FanShot

Western Michigan linebacker Austin Lewis retires due to head injuries

1

In a sad bit of news, WMU's Austin Lewis will retire from college football, effective immediately. Coach PJ Fleck acknowledged that accumulated injuries, specifically head injuries, spurred the decision. Lewis, a 6'3", 230 lb. linebacker from Terre Haute, IN, had 66 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss in 2015, good enough for 4th on the team in both stats, and most likely would have been a starter in 2016, with the departures of key players at the position, but there was an understanding that Lewis couldd be put at risk. Fleck said "we don't mess around" with injuries of Lewis' nature, once again spurring the question of player safety in football.