Pride of Detroit
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....
