Atlanta Falcons defensive lineman Osi Umenyiora will be hanging up his cleats at the end of the 2013-14 campaign, the player announced on Saturday. His announcement came via a recorded message to Larry Blakeney during halftime at Saturday's Troy game, according to Zach Klein of WSB TV.
Osi Umenyiora announces he will retire at season’s end
Osi Umenyiora announced his retirement at the conclusion of the 2013-14 season after 12 years in the NFL.
Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports
Blakeney is the head football coach at Troy, and has held that position since 1991, so he was in charge when Umenyiora came through. Umenyiora was the 56th overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft by the New York Giants, and quickly established himself as one of the league's top pass-rushers, once he grabbed a starting job in 2005.
Umenyiora left the Giants after the 2012 season, a year in which he put up six sacks and has two forced fumbles. His best year was 2005, when he had 14.5 sacks, though he also managed a huge 10 forced fumbles in 2010. On his career, he’s got 434 tackles, 85.0 sacks and 35 forced fumbles. This season with the Falcons, he has 2.5 sacks.
When he joined the Falcons in 2013, he was expecting another run at the Super Bowl, but Atlanta quickly declined on both sides of the ball. Still, he’s a two-time All-Pro, has been in two Pro Bowls and has two Super Bowl rings with the Giants. He doesn’t have much left to prove.
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