"Whilst I am extremely disappointed after receiving the second opinion, I am already looking forward to the future," Whitnall said. "I thoroughly enjoyed playing AFL and thank the Carlton fans for all their support over the years."
Whitnall, however, expressed disappointment at his abrupt sacking from the club. "I'm a little bit annoyed, but it's big business now and they've moved on and now I can probably move on with the rest of my life as well," he said.
The seriousness of his knee troubles hit home to Whitnall after a visit to the doctor. "When you get told by the doctor, the second opinion, that if you keep playing then in five or six years you'll need a knee replacement, well, it makes you sit back and think," he said.
"I've got a family and kids to look after so I pretty much made my decision then."