Concussions convince Chrebet it's time to end his NFL career 

Concussions convince Chrebet it's time to end his NFL career

The thought of going back into the locker room, seeing his teammates, his uniform, his old life was too much to bear for Wayne Chrebet.
The veteran Jets receiver stayed away for over a month so he could come to terms with the inevitable -- that he would never be a part of that locker room again. Once Chrebet made his way to the Jets facility Thursday for the first time since sustaining another concussion Nov. 6, he realized how long he'd been away.
Dust caked the boxes in his locker, and mail overflowed from fans sharing their well wishes. Chrebet confirmed his 11-year career was over, ending a love story between the little receiver that could and the fans that embraced the hometown hero.
"Some days you wake up and you don't feel like anything's changed," Chrebet said, his lips quivering and eyes watering. "And then your team is playing on TV and it hits you in the gut and makes it tough. Just accepting it and not fighting it -- it's not a fight I can win right now. I'm not going to get back on the field. I think everybody's aware of that."
Chrebet signed with the Jets as an undrafted free agent out of Hofstra, the same place the Jets practice. Though he was undersized at 5-10, he quickly became a clutch possession receiver.
The decision to walk away was difficult and painful. Chrebet had a series of head injuries that plagued him the past three seasons, and sustained at least six concussions in his NFL career.
He finishes second on the Jets career receptions list with 580.