Concussions end playing career of UH's Ra'Shaad Samples

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Wide receiver Ra'Shaad Samples' playing career at the University of Houston is over, coach Major Applewhite said Wednesday.

Samples sat out last season after suffering two concussions in the spring and preseason camp. In an interview with the Houston Chronicle last October, Samples estimated he's had "five or six" concussions since high school.

A transfer from Oklahoma State, Samples continued to hold out hope that team doctors would clear him to play next season. Samples never played a snap for the Cougars.

"Ra'Shaad is not going to play next year," Applewhite said. "That's just what's best for him health-wise, and what's best for him down the line to have a quality of life."

Samples is currently in UH's Bauer College of Business and will remain on scholarship.

"We honor that as a program," Applewhite said. "He's focusing on getting a degree. Whether he wants to be a part of the team in a coaching role or not is up to him."