After senior linebacker Louis Acceus suffered a concussion during fall camp, his third in less than a year, doctors told him that it was time to hang it up.

"It was probably the toughest thing I’ve had to do in my life besides moving to a new school," Acceus admitted. "I’ve been playing football for the last 14 years of my life. Just to give it up like that is heartbreaking."

Doctors had warned Acceus of the long-term risk when he suffered a second concussion this spring after missing the last four games of his junior season in 2019 due to an unspecified injury.

After a series of tough conversations with medical advisors and his family, Acceus made the difficult decision to cut his playing career short in order to preserve his long-term health.

"They didn't want to see me make matters worse with the situation because I got a concussion back in March. I was kind of told by a doctor that I shouldn't play anymore, but I still took a chance," Acceus said. "I wasn't ready to give the game up. My family supported that.

"It kind of felt like it was time to hang it up back then but due to situation that happened in August, that's when they told me, 'Alright, you have to hang it up now, you would just be hurting yourself at this point.'"

In three seasons with the Wolfpack, Acceus appeared in 32 games and started nine. He tallied 79 total tackles, six tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks in his college career.

Although the 5-foot-11, 230-pound linebacker from Spring Valley (N.Y.) was understandably full of sorrow in his virtual media availability Wednesday, a potential silver lining was found this week.

While Acceus saw the chapter of his playing career come to an end shortly before the Wolfpack's season opener against Wake Forest Saturday, a new one begins for the former linebacker becoming a new student coach on the team.

"I've always thought about coaching when I was done with my career," Acceus said. "Due to the situation at hand, I think it's time for me to step into coaching, test the waters and see if it's for me."

"With all the resources I have in hand, I can get into football operations, I can get into coaching, I can get into strength and conditioning training," he continued. "[NC State head coach Dave Doeren] allowing me to still be around the players has been a huge blessing in my life."

Instead of preparing to make the right reads on the field against the Demon Deacons run-pass option plays Saturday night, he'll now help the coaching staff with the strategic side of game week prep as he embarks into a new potential career path.

"Basically, just learning more about football behind the scenes, what goes into game planning, how to gameplan, what to look for when you watch film, that kind of thing." Acceus said of his new role. "I look forward to just being on my team and still being able to help them get better."

The loss of Acceus this season will not just be something that's felt on the field, but also a harsh reality that will register through the entire Wolfpack locker room.

"Louis is one of my closest guys on the team, my brother," redshirt junior linebacker and team captain Isaiah Moore said Wednesday. "Me and him were part of the same recruiting class, came in together, played with each other. My heart definitely hurts for him. I definitely shed some tears for him, and it affected all of us.

"It put things into perspective for a lot of us. Any down could be your last down, any snap could be your last snap, so you have to go out there and give it your all. We're all going to be playing for him."

That brotherhood described by Moore has been crucial for Acceus as he works through accepting a playing career cut short due to medical reasons.

"After I posted a picture on Instagram and announced everything, they came to me with a lot of support, letting me know that everything's gonna be okay and they're still gonna have my back, no matter what," Acceus said. "Being able to feel that kind of love from my teammates, it's something that's indescribable."

——

• Talk about it inside The Wolves' Den

• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes

• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolfpacker

• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolfpacker

• Like us on Facebook