Billy Price, a veteran NFL center and first round draft pick in 2018, announced his retirement on social media this weekend after revealing that he underwent emergency surgery last month to remove a blood clot. 

The 29-year-old pro posted the announcement on his Instagram. He said he suffered “an unprovoked pulmonary embolism,” and decided to retire because of the risk of internal bleeding. 

“In the blink of an eye, everything can be taken away,” Price said in the caption of his post. 

“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.”

Price was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals with the 21st pick in the 2018 draft. He played there for three seasons before being traded to the New York Giants in 2021. He played in 69 career games, including 45 starts. 

Billy Price #53 of the Cincinnati Bengals in action against the Miami Dolphins in the first quarter at Hard Rock Stadium on December 22, 2019 in Miami, Florida.  (Mark Brown/Getty Images)

ALL-PRO RUNNING BACK DAVID JOHNSON ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT FROM NFL AFTER 8 SEASONS

He last played in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals in 2022. 

“I am truly thankful for the opportunity to have played in some of the greatest atmospheres around the world. I am thankful to have trained and played alongside men who will continue to make Pro Bowls, All Pro Rosters and Hall of Fame recognitions,” he said Friday. 

Billy Price #53 of the Arizona Cardinals prepares for a game against the Seattle Seahawks at State Farm Stadium on November 06, 2022 in Glendale, Arizona. (Norm Hall/Getty Images)

“To my wife: this career would not have been possible without your continued love and support. 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.”

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CLOVIS — Ventura’s Sadie Engelhardt punctuated her record-setting junior year doing what she does best Saturday night in Clovis: breaking another record and adding a couple more titles to her collection.

Even without the red cape, “Super Sadie” set a new standard for the 1,600 meters in the CIF state track and field championships at Buchanan High, finishing in a national-leading time of 4 minutes 32.06 seconds to shatter the state finals record of 4:33.45 she set last spring. She joined Irvine University’s Polly Plumer (1980-82), Vista’s Kira Jorgensen (1987-89) and Woodbridge’s Christine Babcock (2006-08) as the only girls to win three consecutive 1,600 titles. Engelhardt could become the first four-time state winner next year.

Setting the pace from the start, Engelhardt ran the first lap in 66 seconds, the second in 68 seconds, the third in 69 seconds and the last in 66 seconds to defeat runner-up Braelyn Combe from Corona Santiago by more than six seconds.

“I wanted to spread out and keep it an honest race,” Engelhardt said.

It was Engelhart’s sixth first-place medal in an individual state event — she has won two in cross country and three in track (she won the 800 as a sophomore, making her the first female to accomplish that state meet “double” since Pleasant Hill’s Kathy Costello won the mile and 880-yard races 49 years ago).

“The first lap was almost like a time trial mentality,” Engelhardt said of her 1,600 effort Saturday. “I wanted to see how I felt on the first lap and go from there. I really wanted to get 4:26 but didn’t know if today was the day.”

Instead of defending her state title in the 800, she joined teammates Melanie True, Tiffany Sax and Aelo Curtis to win the 4×800 relay in 8:57.21 — a California girls’ record. The Cougars’ foursome entered as the top seed after winning the Southern Section Masters Meet in 9:02.57, but they needed a superhuman effort from Englehardt on the anchor leg to prevail Saturday. A dropped baton on the final exchange left her trailing by 100 meters in third place when she got the baton, but she steadily closed the gap on front-running Santiago and took the lead rounding the final turn to win by almost three seconds.

“Part of my thinking was you only have to do the 4×800 twice, but I also love running with my teammates,” said Engelhardt, who next season could try to go after the state 800 record of 2:02.04 set by Harvard-Westlake’s Amy Weissenbach in 2011.

Oaks Christian celebrates its state title in the girls’ 4X100-meter relay at the CIF state track and field championships on Saturday.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

In the boys’ 4×800 relay, San Clemente broke its own meet record from last year by 52-hundredths of a second in a winning in 7:38.07.

Defending his 1,600-meter crown was Santa Barbara’s Andreas Dybdahl, who clocked 4:08.23 to edge fellow seniors Anthony Fast Horse (4:09.32) of Ventura and Felix Ibzan (4:10.33) from Beckman.

Niya Clayton won the girls’ 100 meters at the state finals last year and showed her speed during the last leg of the 4×100 on Saturday to hold off Long Beach Poly’s Brooklyn Lee by 11-hundredths of a second and help Oaks Christian win in a state-leading time of 45.67 seconds. Later, Clayton placed sixth in the 100, which Canyon Country Canyon senior Mikaela Warr won by six-thousandths of a second over Gardena Serra’s Mia Flowers in 11.41.

“We watched the tape from yesterday and saw that our handoffs were a little off and I didn’t push all the way through the finish,” Clayton, a senior, said of the Lions’ 46.33 effort to take first place in their qualifying heat Friday. “After winning the 100 last year I was like ‘what’s next?’ But this is my last run out in high school, everyone was working together and I got to run with my sister [Imani] so what could be better?”

Birmingham’s Deshawn Banks competes in the high jump on his way to winning the state title in the event.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

After an exciting qualifying round Friday in which six boys posted personal records in the 100, San Diego Section winner Brandon Arrington Jr., a sophomore from Mt. Miguel, won the sprint in 10.33 to edge Granada Hills senior Jordan Coleman (10.43) and Bakersfield sophomore Jalen Ford (10.48). Coleman, the City Section 100 and 200 champion, also finished second in the 200 in 21.04 behind Arrington, who equaled his 20.55 time from Friday.

Upon clearing a personal record of 7 feet 0½ inches to win the boys’ high jump, Birmingham senior Deshawn Banks celebrated by doing a few celebratory flips for the crowd after a spirited duel with Sherman Oaks Notre Dame sophomore JJ Harel, who took second at 6-10.

“For me, getting a PR was a bigger deal because I’ve been trying to clear 7 feet all year,” said Banks, who was fifth at the state meet last year and took first in the event at Arcadia and Mt. SAC in April. “I was excited to jump against the sophomore. I stayed focused at the end, did my claps and went through my routine.”

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame’s Aja Johnson won the state title in girls’ discus Saturday.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Culver City senior Morgan Maddox, who had posted the leading qualifying times in the 200 and 400, finished second to Amirah Shaheed of San Diego Madison in the 200 and was third in the 400. Canyon’s Jordehn Gammage won the boys’ 300 hurdles in 37.35.

Ventura senior Valentina Fakrogha cleared 5-8 to win the girls’ high jump and Vista Murrieta senior Alyssa Alumbres won the triple jump in 40-11. Leaping 20-5¼ to win the long jump was Long Beach Wilson’s Loren Webster.

After winning the shotput with a throw of 44¾ to win state last year, Notre Dame junior Aja Johnson settled for second Saturday with an effort of 46-8¾, much better than the 44-2¼ she threw for second in Friday’s qualifying. Earlier Saturday, Johnson won the discus with a personal record of 158-10 on her fourth throw.

Dana Hills junior Evan Noonan ran the last lap in 57.12 seconds to win the boys’ 3,200 in 8:43.12 in a fast race in which 17 runners broke nine minutes. Defending champion Rylee Blade of Santiago was third in the girls’ race in 10:06.26. Jaelyn Williams of Eastlake won in 9:57.11.

Evan Noonan of Dana Hills wins the state title in the boys’ 3,200 meters at Buchanan High School in Clovis on May 25, 2024.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

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Long Beach Poly’s Xai Ricks celebrates after winning the state title in the boys’ 400 meters Saturday.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Wilson took first in the last event, the 4×400 relay, in 3:41.40 to wrap up the girls’ team title with 36 points. Ventura finished second with 30 points and Vista Murrieta was third with 23.

Poly senior Xai Ricks won the 400 in 46.79 and ran the anchor leg on the 4×400 in 46.6 to secure second and clinch a boys-record 11th team title for the Jackrabbits. Poly scored 33 points in claiming its first title since 2011, with Clovis North (28) finishing second and Wilson (27) third.

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey is widely regarded as one of the best players in the NFL. He led the league in rushing yards in 2023 and played a key role in the Niners’ run to Super Bowl LVIII.

McCaffrey’s and the 49ers’ opening drive in this past February’s Super Bowl looked promising — until the star running back committed a costly turnover a few yards shy of the red zone.

The Kansas City Chiefs went on to defeat the 49ers in overtime, earning the right to the franchise’s second consecutive Vince Lombardi Trophy. While more than three months have passed since the Super Bowl was played, the fumble appears to still weigh “heavy” on McCaffrey.

49ers running backs coach Bobby Turner seems to understand McCaffery’s apparent push to play as close to perfect whenever he is on the football field. But the veteran coach also knows the mistake has the potential to have long-term impacts on the ball carrier if it lingers on his mind.

JEROME BETTIS CONFIDENT STEELERS WILL BE ‘TOP-TIER’ TEAM OPPONENTS FEAR IN 2024

“I talked to him at the same time it happened when he came off the football field because you have to,” Turner said, per NBC Sports. “You have to be able to let it go, but it’s one of those things you take personally because it’s very important to him. The ball is everything. He is carrying this whole organization — his family, my family. He is carrying that football. It’s heavy.”

Christian McCaffrey #23 of the San Francisco 49ers runs the ball in the second quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Turner added that ball security is routinely a topic of conversation for the 49ers.

“I always talk about how much it weighs, how long it is, the nickname on it, ‘The Duke,’ ” Turner said. “You’re carrying ‘The Duke’ around. [McCaffrey] takes a lot of pride in that. Every time he touches the ball, he is trying to protect it, and unfortunately, that happened.”

Christian McCaffrey #23 of the San Francisco 49ers runs the ball for a touchdown in the second quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

While McCaffrey has yet to participate in the Niners voluntary offseason program, Turner is confident the three-time All-Pro will be ready when he does arrive at the team’s facilities.

Turner said McCaffrey’s commitment to the game was on full display in 2023, his first full season with the 49ers.

“He was here every day last year from Day 1 and he was constantly in my office, or we were texting or talking to each other,” Turner said.

The 49ers open the 2024 regular season on Sept. 9 when Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets travel to Santa Clara.

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