Billy Price is an NFL veteran center who has played 69 total career games since 2018. Price announced his retirement due to sad circumstances.
Billy Price was a first-round draft pick in 2018 by the Cincinnati Bengals, but most recently played center for the Arizona Cardinals. What happened to this former 1st-round draft pick?
Former NFL 1st Round Draft is Fortunate to be Alive
Grant Gordon, digital content editor stated in his article for the NFL, “Offensive lineman Billy Price, a 2018 first-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals who played five NFL seasons, announced his retirement Saturday due to the risks caused by a blood clot.”
According to Price, he underwent emergency surgery to remove a saddle blood clot that was invading both lungs. Price published on Instagram the following:
“In the blink of an eye, everything can be taken away. On April 24th I had emergency pulmonary embolism surgery to remove a saddle clot that was entering both of my lungs. As a healthy 29-year-old, an unprovoked pulmonary embolism with no further medical explanation is terrifying. I am truly thankful to be alive today. Unfortunately, I will be retiring from the NFL as the risk of an internal bleed while on blood thinners creates tremendous risk.”
A pulmonary saddle embolism is life-threatening. Yale Medicine defines this type of embolism as “characterized by a large blood clot lodges at the bifurcation of the lungs.” Hence the name saddle clot.
Imagine a tree trunk separating off into two branches. The pulmonary artery splits off similarly, with one branch going to the right lung and the other branch going to the left lung. This intersection or bifurcation is where saddle blood clots rest.
The surgery was successful; however, the risk of a future injury causing internal bleeding is great because Price must now take blood thinners. Blood thinners may cause uncontrolled bleeding and delayed hemorrhaging.
Billy Price: NFL Highlights
Billy Price was a first-round draft pick for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2018. He played center for three seasons with the Bengals. In his first year with the Bengals, he played ten games, but for the next two years, he played 16 games for a total of 42 games with the Bengals. He was then traded to the Giants, where he played 16 games in 2021. In 2022, he played in 11 games for the Arizona Cardinals. Read more about his career stats by clicking here.
Price had 45 starts over his NFL career out of 69 games. Price is known for his great technique and power on the field. In college, Price was the recipient of The Dave Rimington Trophy in 2017. That is no doubt one of the reasons he was a first-round NFL draft pick in 2018.
Kind Words of Farewell
Billy Price respectfully expressed gratitude on Instagram for the opportunity afforded him in his career, which included playing and training with teammates.
Billy Price acknowledged the support of his wife as being the key component of his career. “The sacrifices you have made over the course of my career do not go unnoticed. I cannot wait to navigate the next chapter in life with you as we continue to grow our family.” From Instagram
Read about the retirement announcement of another Arizona Cardinals player by following this link.
About the Author
Lori was born in Jacksonville, Florida. She was in Jacksonville when the Jaguars became the 30th NFL Franchise. Her son began playing football in middle school and continued playing through his senior year of high school. Lori’s daughter was born during a Super Bowl game. She and her family are avid sports enthusiasts.
Lori is a freelance writer with Total Apex Sports and is dedicated to creating interesting, accurate, and concise articles. Lori reports that writing for Total Apex Sports is an honor, and each day is full of exciting experiences.
Lori has a bachelor’s degree in Business Management with an emphasis on Project Management and has written technical documents for more than a decade.
You may contact Lori by email at lori@loriratto.com. Follow me on X https://twitter.com/LorirattoLori
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