.jpg)
1 hour ago
2
Sa’vell Smalls did everything football ever asked of him, and more.
He was a five star recruit, a consensus national prospect, and a player once spoken about as a future star at the highest level. His path took him from Washington to Colorado in 2023, following opportunity, belief, and the promise of a fresh start under Deion Sanders.
Instead, the game nearly took his life.
In a deeply personal message shared publicly, Smalls revealed that he has medically retired from college football after learning he was born with spinal stenosis, a condition that dangerously narrows the spinal canal. The diagnosis came only after a series of terrifying moments that no athlete expects to experience.
— Sav’ell Smalls 🧬 (@SavvySmalls_9) January 21, 2026Smalls described episodes of transient quadriplegia, temporary paralysis in his arms and legs, occurring during routine plays he had executed thousands of times. At first, he did what many athletes are conditioned to do. He stayed quiet. He pushed through numbness. He told himself it would pass.
It did not.
MORE: Meet Abella Danger—The one Miami celebrity fan Curt Cignetti won't tell you to Google
Eventually, the symptoms became impossible to explain away. Medical evaluations revealed the seriousness of the condition. Spinal fusion surgery was discussed, but even that came with no certainty. Doctors warned that continuing to play football carried a real risk of permanent paralysis.
For Smalls, the choice became brutally clear.
Sanders has not publicly responded. However, the decision dates back to last fall, when Smalls was advised that continuing to play carried serious risk.
MORE: Malachi Toney admits he’d be playing in the SEC if not for a coaching change
What stood out just as much as what was said was what was not.
In a message filled with gratitude for family, doctors, and those who supported him through the hardest decision of his life, Smalls did not mention Coach Prime or the Colorado coaching staff. That absence is notable, especially in a sport where public thanks are often extended even in far less personal moments.
Once viewed as an immediate impact defender and a future NFL prospect, Smalls exited the game quietly. There was no press conference. No farewell moment. No orchestrated goodbye. Just a decision made privately, months earlier, with life itself hanging in the balance.
MORE: D’Angelo Ponds’ father sends 'BTA' message to Michael Irvin after Indiana's title win
“I medically retired,” Smalls wrote. “Ending my athletic career for good.”
The words are simple. The weight behind them is not.
Football gave Smalls structure, identity, and opportunity. It also put him in danger he did not fully understand until it was almost too late. Walking away was not weakness. It was awareness of the life ahead of him.
English (US)