Bills offensive lineman retires at age 26 due to nerve damage from latest injury

Tommy Doyle is now a former football player at the age of 26.

The Buffalo Bills offensive lineman announced Friday he’s retiring due to “permanent” injuries.

Doyle has not appeared in a game since Week 3 of the 2022 season, and an injury he sustained during the 2023 preseason left him with nerve damage.

“At this point, with the calendar and the healing process, it looks as though it’s permanent. I’m just unable to play football at a high level, and it’s time. When you know, you know,” Doyle said.

Doyle tore an ACL in 2022.

“I was really battling and competing and working to come back from that injury, only to be kind of struck with an even more disastrous injury,” Doyle said. “But, at the end of the day, there was a lot of negative emotions and anger. … Doing a lot of reflecting lately and looking back on it, I’ve learned a lot of valuable lessons from it.

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“Football is something that I’ve loved and put my life into. And I put a lot of time, effort and energy to try to get back on the field. But, ultimately, that’s really not the plan God has for me, and I know that to be true. I feel that this is the time to announce it and move on.

“I think what I will remember most is just the relationships formed with the guys on the team, with the coaches, with the trainers, with the fans. It’s an amazing town. It’s an amazing city. The fan base is awesome. Throughout my four years playing in Buffalo, just the different locker rooms and how tight-knit it was, was something truly special.”

Doyle was a fifth-round pick out of Miami of Ohio in 2021. In his rookie season, during the wild-card round against the New England Patriots, he caught a touchdown.

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