The Jacksonville Jaguars have lost one of their best team players. Former Linebacker Russell Allen was cut by the team last week and subsequently retired after a freak in-game stroke. The incident happened late in the 2013 NFL when the Panthers were in Buffalo to take on the AFC East's Bills. 

After a routine play, in which Allen blocked a Buffalo Bills player, the former NFL player said he felt a "flash," and later experienced worrying symptoms including a persistent headache and double vision. At first, Allen declined to inform team medical personnel or his coaches about the symptoms. 

But why would he withhold such pertinent information?

Well, the six-foot three-inch tall, 238 pound Allen feared that his injury admission would negatively effect his career. He didn't want to be sent down the depth chart and perhaps losing his career altogether. Yet he understood that sharing this information would be helpful to himself, the team and other athletes dealing with head injuries.

''I told my story so athletes understand you can't ignore head injuries,'' Allen tweeted on Tuesday. ''If you're not sure you have one, then you do. Report it immediately.''

Unfortunately, Allen isn't the first, nor the last to experience a life-changing injury on the field. It's possible though that he's the first to have had a stroke though. Concussions are much-more commonplace.

''Guys talk about it all the time: 'I'm all right; I just got my bell rung,''' Allen said. ''I've had, maybe 10 times in my career, when for a second I felt woozy after a hit. And what I've learned from this is that it's not something to be overlooked. If it feels like something's wrong, something's wrong. I want someone to know my experience, so they can know when they experience something similar.''

The NFL has a pension plan for its players with three or more years of service time. Allen qualifies so hopefully he won't be left with insurmountable medical bills. Even though he was making millions, as evidenced by the $2.5 million in cap space that the Panthers stand to save after cutting him, he has a family in California that he needs to support. His money will only stretch so far.

This series of events just goes to show you that anything can happen in the NFL, even on commonplace plays.

''It was strange because it was so routine,'' Allen remarked. ''We hit, I got off the block, no big deal. I felt something flash -- like they say when you get your bell rung. I didn't lose consciousness. I walked back to the huddle and finished the drive.''

Godspeed, Allen.

Would you allow your son or daughter to play high-impact sports such as football and mixed martial arts? Injuries happen all the time. Let us know in the comments section below.