http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=1981383 Kudos to a great football player and a great guy!
Sounds like he desperately is trying to hang on and is only going to retire cause no one wants him. Sad way to go out.
Has there ever been a player who hung on magnificently. Maybe Nolan Ryan and Maybe Roger Clemens. But how many more? I don't care if they want to play. It matters little to me, but the player should recognize the fact that his skills have dimished and come to terms with that. Don't pretend you still got it. Jerry Rice seems to have reached that point. He just wants to play, but understands his skills are gone.
He still had over 900 yards this year. Most of the players in the NFL can't get 900 yards... he miight not be near what he used to be, but still a decent amount of yards.
Is there a more physically demanding position in the NFL? The fact that he did what he did for so long is amazing.
Its easy to say he should retire, but when someone is still throwing millions of dollars in your face, its hard to walk away. And this is coming from someone who hates when athletes stay past their prime.
It's just tough to say goodbye to something you were the best in the world at. Hakeem was the same way.
Barry Sanders Barry Sanders Barry Sanders Barry Sanders Barry Sanders Barry Sanders Barry Sanders Barry Sanders Barry Sanders Barry Sanders Maybe that'll keep them at bay.
I'm glad he went out on a high note ~ 1000+ total yards and 9 tds, not bad at all for a 35 year old RB on a crappy team.
All depends on a persons ego. I have no problem with players playing past their prime as long as they are willing to adjust their role with the team. If the player becomes a cancer to the team because he still thinks he is the team, then it is time to move on. Deke is a good example of a player shifting gears to a backup role. Some players though cannot except taking step backwards after being at the top.
http://cbs.sportsline.com/nfl/story/8153690 Not so fast: Emmitt downplays retirement report Feb. 1, 2005 SportsLine.com wire reports JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Emmitt Smith, the NFL's all-time leading rusher, denied a report Tuesday that he will retire later this week. Internet reports, citing unidentified "confidants" of the running back, said Smith will retire Thursday in Jacksonville, site of this year's Super Bowl. Smith spent the last two seasons with Arizona after 13 years with Dallas. Smith, 35, denied the report in comments to the Dallas Morning News. "Did you see my year last year? Do you think I'm ready to retire?" Smith said in a report on the newspaper's website Tuesday. Smith rushed for 937 yards and nine touchdowns this season. He has 18,355 career rushing yards and was the league's most valuable player in 1993. He said on Monday night that he wanted to retire as a member of the Cowboys, the team with which he won three Super Bowls. Neither the Cardinals nor Cowboys had any announcements planned regarding Smith. Asked about Smith possibly retiring, former teammate Troy Aikman said: "I hate to speculate on it. At some point it will end, maybe this year or the next. Emmitt's had a terrific career. I'm sure the last two years have been difficult for Emmitt in Arizona. "One thing in this game, when you play on a team that has been together for as long as we were in Dallas, and then you lose guys, it takes a toll." Smith was lauded by several players in this year's Super Bowl as a role model, a man who conducted himself the right way on and off the field. "It would be a great loss for the league," New England running back Corey Dillon said. "I'm going to miss him. I looked up to him, watching him win Super Bowls." Added Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson: "He's such a low-key, classy individual. And what he's been able to achieve hasn't been given just due. He's such an ambassador of the game. "Football's been good to him, and I hope he reciprocates it by staying close to the game. I hope he doesn't completely walk away; I hope he doesn't fade away." AP NEWS The Associated Press News Service Copyright 2004-2005, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved
