Jaxson De Ville
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- Mar 19, 2019
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Since Jaguars linebacker Telvin Smith made the surprising announcement that he’s skipping the 2019 NFL season, there have been many questions about what prompted him to make that decision. And few answers.
The Florida Times-Union spoke to several people who know Smith and didn’t hear much beyond the vague comments Smith gave when he made the announcement.
Randy McPherson, Smith’s high school coach, has remained close to Smith into his NFL career. Smith invited McPherson to come to the Pro Bowl with Smith. But McPherson said he doesn’t know what’s going on with Smith now.
″I’ve tried two or three times to reach out to him and I have not been able to get him,″ McPherson said. ″I can’t really speak for anybody else, but something is up. I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know if anybody knows. If he’s not playing football next year, whatever it is he’s got to fix, it’s for real.″
Jaguars defensive end Calais Campbell said he is concerned about Smith’s health but does not think Smith’s issue is serious.
″I think he’s going to be just fine. I think he’s kind of dedicating his time and efforts to take care of it,″ Campbell said.
The Jaguars have said they haven’t heard from Smith but want to support him. The 28-year-old Smith is walking away from a $9.75 million salary this year.