Frank Ragnow’s first public comments since his retirement didn’t come in some grand ceremony. There was no tearful press conference in front of friends and family.
No, it was much more perfect than that. Much like the man himself, it was a reserved media session. About six reporters were huddled in a tight storage room. Outside the room, blasts rang out in the air as Ragnow’s fourth annual “Skeet Shoot Showdown” was taking place just outside. The event supported his “Rags Remembered Foundation,” which
provides support for children who have suffered the loss of a parent by reconnecting the youth to nature.
While Ragnow probably didn’t want to make the event about himself or his retirement, it was, in a sense, a perfect environment to finally talk about it.
“To shoot it to you straight–I was just trying to will myself to play,” Ragnow said. “I was, and my body was telling me otherwise. I was just like in paralysis, if you will.
“I did not plan on retiring in the middle of summer, believe it or not. It was like–I was trying to get like, ‘You can do it for the guys, for the fans. It’s who you are.’ But it’s just like I was uncomfortable. And it’s one of those things where you have a couple of kids–and I don’t want a sob story. I’m okay. I’m going to be completely fine, but it’s one of those things–I don’t know–is the juice worth the squeeze thing.”
Several times throughout his 15 minutes spent with the media Ragnow mentioned an overwhelming sense of guilt. Guilt of letting down the fans. Guilt of letting his teammates down. He tried to stay away from even watching the games, but eventually the lure of football came back and he started watching again. The guilt only grew from there.
“I tried to avoid games, tried to distract myself from it. Then I started watching games, and I felt guilt. Like Jared getting hit, that’s my guy. Those are my guys and they’re struggling,” Ragnow said.
So that’s when he started thinking about a return. He started working out, talked to some people inside the Lions organization, and found out he loves the process of preparing his body. But just days before he returned to Detroit for his onboarding physical, he suffered an injury. The Lions called it a Grade 3 hamstring tear, but Ragnow had never dealt with soft-tissue injuries and he had no idea it was that serious.
“It was sore, don’t get me wrong. But it just was different, and I guess I didn’t realize the extent of it. Obviously,” Ragnow said.
Overall, Ragnow regrets not listening to his body and called it a “bonehead” move to try and come back, but in the end, everything worked out just fine.
“Everything happens for a reason, and I am where I am now. I’m in a great place, the team’s in a good place, and I’m excited for next season,” Ragnow said. “So I guess it all worked out, whether it’s the right way or whatever, but we found a way and everything’s okay.
Still, he admits he feels for the Lions fans who had to deal with the whole ordeal .
“You just dream of the perfect retirement, and I definitely think I taught the world on how not to do that, right?” Ragnow said. “And I felt a lot of guilt with that. I’m not saying I’m worried about what people think of me, but I care about what the fans think. Because I care about those people. It’s been incredible the amount of gratitude.”
While some Lions fans have posted their frustrations online with Ragnow’s summer retirement and subsequent failed return, the former Lions center says he’s been met with nothing but love from fans. Even when he arrived in Michigan for this charity event—the first time he’s been back in Detroit since the failed physical—fans were stopping him at the airport.
“They say, ‘Hey, I want to say thank you for laying it on the line for me,’” Ragnow said. “And you can’t really even describe what that does. It’s just — to be seen and appreciated like that is so cool.”
As for what’s next, it’s certainly not football. Ragnow definitively closed the door on a return to the NFL. When asked if he retirement was for good now, he replied, “Yeah, I would say so,” with a smile.
Instead, he plans on continuing to focus on community service—something he feels he’s owed with the status and celebrity still has.
“Selfishly, it just gives me something to work on and just to be able to—I still feel like I have a platform and a responsibility, if you will, to make an impact, and I’d like to foresee that,” Ragnow said.
As for the Lions, Ragnow says he’s excited for the upcoming season and hopes the games will be a little easier to watch from a personal standpoint. He may even show up at a game one day—although that’s tough with the overlap with hunting season.
“Ideally, I’d love to get back and support, and I’ll always be watching.”
