Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Jacksonville Jaguars defensive lineman Rodney Gunter has retired from the NFL after he discovered he has an enlarged aorta.
The Jaguars placed Gunter on the reserve/retired list on Monday morning. Gunter, 28, announced his retirement Sunday on social media. The aorta is the largest artery and is responsible for carrying blood away from the heart to other parts of the body.
An enlarged aorta is more prone to a rupture, which could cause life-threatening bleeding and other serious health issues.
"After seeing several heart specialists I was told if I continue to play ball with my condition, I could possibly rupture or tear my aorta which is enlarged," Gunter wrote on Instagram and Twitter. "This can cause sudden death or a severe stroke."
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Gunter said there is a 50 percent chance that surgery will "fix" his condition, but he does not meet the criteria to undergo the operation because his aorta is five centimeters enlarged and needs to be 5.5 centimeters enlarged in order to qualify for the operation.
"At this time, I cannot play or have the surgery so I must wait," Gunter said. "So at this moment I have no other choice but to walk away from this game."
Gunter entered the league as a fourth-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2015 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-5, 305-pound defensive tackle had 31 total tackles, 10 quarterback hits, nine tackles for a loss and three sacks in 13 starts last season.
Gunter had a career-high 44 total tackles, 11 tackles for a loss, nine quarterback hits, 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and a pass defensed in 16 games in 2018.
The Delaware State product had 11 sacks and 126 total tackles in 77 career appearances. Gunter signed a three-year, $18 million contract with the Jaguars in March.
