Marcus Lattimore To Graduate Tomorrow After Returning To College Following Injury

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COLOMBIA, SC – Marcus Lattimore was the next Adrian Peterson coming into the NFL.

The South Carolina running back suffered a gruesome, devastating injury on October 27th in 2012 during a game against the Tennessee Volunteers.

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He tore every ligament on the play and caused damage to the nerves, which he was never able to fully recover from, similar to the situation which newly drafted Dallas Cowboy Jaylon Smith is attempting to reverse.

A testament to his success, Lattimore was so good before his injury, even after having his leg almost completely separated at the knee, he was still taken in the fourth round of 2013 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. The team signed the running back to a 4-year deal worth $2,460,584 including a signing bonus of $300,584. As an essential luxury pick to hopefully recover and return to the player he was, the story unfortunately didn’t have a cinderella-esk ending, with Lattimore never seeing the NFL field. 

On November 5, 2014, Lattimore announced his retirement from the NFL.

With that announcement, Lattimore collected a tax-free $1.7 million permanent total disability insurance policy which he filed during his junior year at USC, which cost him between $10,000 and $15,000.

Previously turning down a position on the Gamecocks’ coaching staff which was offered to him from the school, Lattimore will officially graduate Friday after returning to south Carolina. He will leave with a degree in public health (Gamecoacks Online).

With about 5 million dollars in the bank, Lattimore chose to finish up his education. Props.