NEW ORLEANS — Former University of Utah star Britain Covey may be headed to his second Super Bowl in his third NFL season, but this time around, he won’t be able to play.
On Friday, the Philadelphia Eagles ruled Covey out for Sunday’s Super Bowl LIX against the Kansas City Chiefs as he continues to recover from a neck injury.
Friday night, Covey turned to Instagram to share a message about missing the Super Bowl.
“Less than 48 hours until the Super Bowl,” he wrote. “Being unable to suit up in the biggest game of my life due to a nagging injury is a really difficult thing to accept. But I absolutely love this team and I’m grateful to be a part of it.
“We have great leaders. Great coaches. The receiving core feels like family to me. Many of my teammates have proven a lot of people wrong in their careers and I am proud of them. I look up to a lot of these guys and it’s perhaps the closest knit of any team I’ve been a part of.”
Covey has been on injured reserve since Jan. 28, though the Eagles opened the practice window for him two weeks ago. After being a limited participant in practice in prior weeks, Covey had gone through this week as a full participant for Philadelphia.
He was never taken off IR, though, and never returned to the team’s 53-man active roster.
Sunday’s Super Bowl LIX will kick off at 4:30 p.m. MST at Caesars Superdome and will be televised on Fox.
Covey played in Super Bowl LVII two years ago with the Eagles, when they lost to the Chiefs 38-35. He returned two punts in the NFL title game and ripped off a 27-yard return that helped set up a second-quarter field goal.