Ex-Wildcat Scooby Wright 'focused on getting healthy' following severe neck injury

For now, football is no longer a part of Scooby Wright’s life.

In his third season with the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions, after leading the franchise to two straight USFL championships before the league merged with the XFL, the former Arizona Wildcats linebacker suffered a herniated C5-C6 disc in his neck last month.

Wright has been shut down for the season, and posted on X, “Ain’t nothing happy about it. I can’t even look left without a shooting pain going down my arm.”

Many speculated Wright’s football career ending with his most recent injury, but he said, “I never really formally announced that I was done done, that’s just the media and stuff.”

“Those words never came out of my mouth, but I am done for the year. ... It was a little scary,” Wright said. “I lost feeling in my arm for a little bit, my hands, so I had to hang them up this year. ... I’m just focused on getting healthy right now and I’m just focused on that. I’m trying to get back to feeling healthy and good and stuff, then just go from there.”

Wright, a former Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and All-American linebacker, was a seventh-round choice by the Cleveland Browns in the 2014 NFL Draft, before he was drafted by the Alliance of American Football, the XFL and the USFL.

As Wright continues to weigh his future beyond the UFL season this summer, he joined ESPN Tucson’s “Spears and Ali” recently. Here are parts of that interview:

What’s it been like to play for the Stallions over the last few years?

A: “Man, honestly, it’s been a blessing. At the tail end of my career, it’s cool to be a part of one of the best teams in that league over the last couple of years. We’re getting dubbed as the ‘King of Spring.’ We might go ‘three-peat,’ so it’s pretty cool. ... We don’t get paid a whole lot of money to be out there, but we get paid enough to survive and make a living. The majority of us are out there because we love the game of football and we love having fun.”

What is your favorite memory of playing in the UFL so far?

A: “Probably just the championship games with the champagne showers and the Miller Lite 40s. That’s my favorite part about the UFL, the celebration after the championship game. There’s nothing like it.”

How much has the city of Birmingham embraced you and your ‘Shark Dawg’ apparel brand?

A: “Man, it’s crazy. They truly embraced me when I was hurt and stuff. They still showed me a lot of love. Even at the game last weekend, there were a bunch of 33 jerseys and Shark Dawg shirts in the stands. It’s pretty cool. I’m going to try and make it out before the end of the year. ... There’s five people in the world with Shark Dawg tattoos and that’s the absolutely craziest thing in the world to me. ... It’s a trip. I got pictures on my phone with people with Shark Dawg tattoos — someone has one on their forearm. (Former Arizona defensive tackle) Tevin Hood, remember him? He’s got a Shark Dawg tat and he’s covered in tats. There’s legit five people in the world with Shark Dawg tattoos on them. That’s pretty cool.”

How would you summarize your pro football-playing career?

A: “Man, I just wanted to play football. It didn’t matter what league it was in. It was my goal ever since I was a little kid to make a living playing pro football. If that’s in the NFL, cool, but if it’s in another league, I don’t care — I’m still playing ball. That was always my thought process and I just wanted to play ball and have an opportunity.”

How do you look back on your time in the NFL?

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A: “I was so young, looking back on it. During my rookie year, I was 21 or 22 (years old) and the overall learning ability — I just wish I had a little bit more help in college from the mental standpoint to get ready for the NFL.”

With several ex-Wildcats embracing their first season in the NFL, what advice would you give them?

A: “Just learn that playbook. You can’t get on the field if you don’t know the plays. If you’re out there making mental mistakes and not doing the right stuff, they can’t trust you. The biggest thing is having the ability to have the coaches trust you. If the coaches trust you on the field, you’ll be OK.”

This year will mark the 10-year anniversary of the 2014 UA football team that won the Pac-12 South Division and went to the conference championship game under former head coach Rich Rodriguez. Why do you think that team was so successful?

A: “We had a lot of great players on that team, some good coaches. It was the right time in the right place for everybody. Everything just kind of fell together. If you look back on that season, there were a lot of games that went down to the fourth quarter where the Cardiac Cats weren’t looking too good.”

What is your favorite memory of playing at Arizona?

A: “Man, there were a bunch. Probably the Oregon game at Oregon. That was pretty surreal. Then the Cal game. That one doesn’t feel real, because I remember looking up at the scoreboard and thinking, ‘Damn, they’re up by 21 points right now.’”

Take us through the ‘Scooby Strip’ play where you took the ball from Oregon quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota and Arizona upset No. 2 Oregon in Eugene ...

A: “I just remember taking a swipe at the football and it ended up in my hand — in my paw. That was pretty much it. ... It was awesome. It was a total team win. The offense drove down and got some first downs late in that game. My favorite quote ever from RichRod, in the locker room, and he said, ‘You think they ain’t partying in Tucson, Arizona?’”

Why was Rodriguez the right coach for you?

A: “He was a fun coach because he demanded your best. It wasn’t necessarily fun, but when it was time to work hard, we worked hard. When it was time to have fun, we had fun.”

How much has the UA and Tucson community meant to you?

A: “Man, it means everything. It’s home to me. Tucson is home to me. They’ve always embraced me and I’ve always loved them. It’s a mutual respect.”