Walter Stewart To Retire Due To Spinal Defect

Bearcat Lair with the report.

Bearcat Lair has learned that Cincinnati’s star defensive end, Walter Stewart, will no longer be able to play football due to a congenital defect in his spine. Stewart’s foster father, Keith Fields, told BCL on Monday night that Stewart was born without a "posterior C1 arch" and the problem surfaced after the Fordham game on October 13.

"Walt was injured on the fourth play of the game," said Fields. "But he continued to play the rest of the game. The acute fracture of the front part of his arch revealed the problem with the C1."

And thus ends, officially, the career of Walter Stewart. Losing Walt for the year sucks for the team. But hearing that Walt will never play the game again just sucks in general. His life has not been easy. At the age of 14 he was taken from his mother and placed with foster parents. If that wasn't a big enough of a shock to his system the transition from the bustle of Columbus to tiny Ashville, Ohio must have done the trick.

His foster parents, now parents, insisted that he do an extra curricular activity. He chose Football, a game for which his many gifts were obviously suited. Now, on the verge of what could have been a long and productive NFL career its over for Walter Stewart. That's a hard thing to wrap your mind around. But there is little doubt that Walt has a career in coaching ahead of him, Butch Jones is expected to add Walt to his staff going forward.

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