Peterborough United’s young defender Bobby Copping has been forced into early retirement after yet another head injury with doctors saying he should not continue playing football reports the Peterborough Telegraph.
The 19 year old defender has taken medical advice on his recurring head injury as doctors say carrying on would be ‘detrimental to his health’. He has been given a job inside the Peterborough academy to ease his transition away from playing.
Copping is an ex-Bury player and moved to Peterborough in 2020 where he suffered a serious head injury in February that saw him admitted to hospital for four days. He made one EFL Trophy appearance for the League One side before suffering yet another head injury in November.
Copping stated that he tried medication to stop the injury from reoccurring but it did not work. He is quoted by the Peterborough Telegraph saying –
“I have had various conversations with the club and the specialist and we all came to the same conclusion that for my long-term health and to prevent further damage, retirement from football completely was the obvious decision to make and that has been backed up by the fact I still have problems on a day to day basis because of the injury.
The fact it affects him on a daily basis shows just how scary head injuries in football are. He then revealed how heart-breaking it was for him to make this decision.
“This decision was extremely heart-breaking to make and not just for me, but also for my family who have invested so much into my football journey.”
He will now continue working with Peterborough in a business aspect with the academy and we wish him the best with his future career.
“Although this is a very difficult time for myself, moving forward I’m extremely lucky and thankful to be able to stay a part of the club. I will be taking up a new role as I now progress my career down the business side of things. Anyone that knows me knows that I will bounce back from this.”