Veteran safety and 2014 Steelers captain Troy Polamalu announced his retirement on Friday morning, the team’s website confirmed.
After 12 seasons and 15 playoff games with Pittsburgh, the 33-year-old decided to end his career for personal reasons.
“It’s all about the family,” Polamalu told the Herald Standard. “I live here in Pittsburgh now, and since the end of the season I’ve had a chance to enjoy my family on a level I never had done before. It was awesome.
Added Polamalu: “I had talked to a lot of people about what I should do with my situation, and what they kept saying back to me, and which was not a sufficient reason, was, ‘Troy, you played 12 years in the NFL, you won Super Bowls, won individual awards. There’s nothing left to prove. You have a legacy.’ And I just kept saying, ‘First of all, I don’t care about a legacy. Second of all, I play the game because I enjoy it.’ That’s the reason to keep playing.”
Polamalu finishes his career with 12 sacks, 32 interceptions, 13 forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries. The eight-time Pro Bowler won two Super Bowls with Pittsburgh.
“Since we drafted him in 2003, Troy Polamalu has been an outstanding player and person,” Steelers’ president Art Rooney II said in a statement on the team’s website. “On behalf of the entire Steelers organization and the Steelers Nation, I am happy to be able to publicly celebrate and thank Troy for his many contributions to the Steelers. His unique style of play will be remembered among the all-time Steelers. His passion for the game of football on the field and his willingness to be a contributor to the community make him a very special person.”
“Troy is a shining example of a football man in the way he loved the game, the way he respected the game and the way he played the game,” said Mike Tomlin, who coached Polamalu and the Steelers since 2008. “It’s a shining example of the window into who he is. He is a legendary Steeler and a legendary man. I congratulate him and wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”
