A.J. Tarpley, the quick, hard-hitting Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year linebacker from Wayzata who went on to star at Stanford and make it as an undrafted free agent in the NFL, retired from football Wednesday.
Tarpley, 23, said he suffered two concussions during his rookie season, the third and fourth of his football career. He made the announcement on his Instagram account.
Tarpley appeared in 14 games for the Bills as a rookie. He made eight tackles, recorded a sack and made interceptions in back-to-back games to end the season.
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