Huskies’ Charles, who played at Stanwood, retires from football

Dexter Charles’ dream of playing in the National Football League came to an abrupt and disappointing end on Monday when the University of Washington announced that he would be retiring from football due to a lingering knee injury.

The 6-foot-5, 313-pound Charles was preparing to play his senior season at Washington. He was expected to be the team’s starting right offensive guard.

UW head coach Chris Petersen said in a statement that Charles’ injury “won’t allow him to continue to play. I’m grateful for his dedication and hard work, and very pleased that he earned his degree (Charles graduated with a degree in anthropology in the spring). He’s interested in the coaching profession and I wish him nothing but the best.”

Charles, a 2011 graduate of Stanwood High School where he was a first-team All-State selection as a senior, could not be reached for comment on Monday.

In his four years at Washington, Charles dealt with a series of painful and often nagging injuries. In the offseason before last season he had two surgeries on his right shoulder and another on his left shoulder, all within the space of two months. He missed four of the team’s 14 games in 2014 due to injuries.

Charles redshirted as a true freshman in 2011 and then became a starter the following season. He started 30 games in three seasons, and the games he missed were the result of injuries.

“(Getting injured) is frustrating,” Charles said in an interview before the 2014 season, “but you also have to come to the realization that this is the sport we play. You’re not going to get through it (totally) healthy. Nobody gets through it like that.”

Injuries no doubt kept Charles from earning the kind of postseason honors that likely would have been his had he stayed healthy. Still, in his redshirt sophomore season of 2013 he was an honorable mention All-Pacific 12 Conference selection.

In the 2014 interview, Charles confirmed that his goal was to play in the NFL someday.

“I grew up around football and I love it,” he said. “And when I was a little kid I’d think, ‘I want to play in the NFL.’ If I can make money playing a game, I’m going to play that game as long as I can. … I live for football and that’s definitely my ultimate goal, to get (to the NFL).”