Polamalu retires from football
Roberto M. Esquivel|无毛视频-Standard
Steelers safety Troy Polamalu is pictured walking off the field in this 2012 无毛视频-Standard file photo.
Roberto M. Esquivel|无毛视频-Standard
Pictured in the 2012 无毛视频-Standard file photo is Steelers safety Troy Polamalu (43).
Roberto M. Esquivel
Steelers safety Troy Polamalu (43) breaks up a pass against the Cleveland Browns receiver in this 2012 无毛视频-Standard file photo. Polamalu was recently elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Troy Polamalu called Dan Rooney last night to inform him he was retiring from football.
The Steelers had asked Polamalu to retire in February, but he resisted until the realization came upon him in church this week, the Holy Week of the Greek Orthodox Church.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 all about family,无毛视频� said Polamalu in a phone interview. 无毛视频淚 live here in Pittsburgh now, and since the end of the season I无毛视频檝e had a chance to enjoy my family on a level I never had before. It was awesome.无毛视频�
Polamalu retires after 12 seasons, in which the eight-time Pro Bowler and four-time first-team All-Pro played in 158 regular-season games, 15 playoff games and three Super Bowls. In those games, the Steelers无毛视频� strong safety made 710 tackles, intercepted 35 passes, forced 13 fumbles, recovered seven fumbles, scored four touchdowns and won two championships.
In his prime, No. 43 was one of the greatest to ever play the game.
Last season, Polamalu started nine games and made 49 tackles before an injury resulted in a sprained knee ligament and forced him to miss four of the final seven games. He returned for the playoffs and made eight tackles in the loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
The freakish nature of the injury, in which a runner pinballed off another player and into the back of Polamalu无毛视频檚 leg, gave him reason to believe he could continue playing and caused him to consider his options.
无毛视频淚 did not seriously consider playing elsewhere,无毛视频� Polamalu said. 无毛视频淚t was just whether or not I wanted to play. 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 无毛视频楾roy, you played 12 years in the NFL, you won Super Bowls, won individual awards. There无毛视频檚 nothing left to prove. You have a legacy.无毛视频� And I just kept saying, 无毛视频楩irst of all, I don无毛视频檛 care about a legacy. Second of all, I play the game because I enjoy it.无毛视频� That无毛视频檚 the reason to keep playing.
无毛视频淟ike I said, what it came down to was definitely family. If I无毛视频檓 in my fourth year, fifth year, even if I无毛视频檓 in my 10th year, I无毛视频檓 playing in Alaska. But when I started this process and started to debate whether I should come back or should I play, that was kind of the sign for me to say 无毛视频榃hoa, if you无毛视频檙e just even debating it maybe you shouldn无毛视频檛 play anymore,无毛视频� because what I do know about this game is it takes a lot -a lot 无毛视频� of commitment just to be an average player.无毛视频�
Polamalu also came upon the realization that the numbers 无毛视频� age of 33 and 12 years service 无毛视频� agreed with him.
无毛视频淭hirty-three is obviously significant because of Christ being 33; and 12 years, 12 apostles,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 not superstitious by any means but I always thought that if I played 12 years and retire from football at 33 and give my life and give my body and give my blood to this game, I think that would be a pretty significant landmark in my life.无毛视频�
Polamalu said that his wife, Theodora, did not ask him to retire, and that 无毛视频淪he was the most supportive person. I would ask her, 无毛视频榃hat do you want me to do? What should I do?无毛视频� And she would say, 无毛视频楾roy, I无毛视频檓 not here to tell you what you should do. I无毛视频檓 here to support you in whatever decision you want to make.'无毛视频�
What will Polamalu do in retirement?
无毛视频淲ell, that无毛视频檚 the big question,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淭hat also was part of the hesitation. What am I going to do now? I think the best I can do is make up for lost time, and that无毛视频檚 with my family. Thank God football has provided me the ability to be able to sit back and see what the options are. But I无毛视频檒l definitely be the best father I can possibly be.无毛视频�
Polamalu is the father of seven-year-old Paisios and five-year-old Ephram, boys who are often seen darting around the Heinz Field locker room and the training-camp fields at St. Vincent College.
无毛视频淢aybe it was a sign for me to retire when I chase my kids around and couldn无毛视频檛 catch them,无毛视频� Polamalu said with a laugh. 无毛视频淚t was either a sign for me to retire or a sign for them to begin training.无毛视频�
Polamalu does see good possibilities ahead for the Steelers.
无毛视频淧art of the reason I wanted to come back was they无毛视频檙e talented, they无毛视频檙e really talented,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淚 think it无毛视频檚 an exciting time to be a Steeler, but, man, there have been years where I thought we weren无毛视频檛 going to be very good and we were great, and there were years that I thought we were going to be great and we weren无毛视频檛 very good. You just never know.
无毛视频淚 do know one thing is that talent doesn无毛视频檛 win Super Bowls. There无毛视频檚 got to be another component there. The personality of a team changes from year to year. I do think the team next year can be really successful. How successful, only time will tell.无毛视频�
The personality of this team will certainly change without Polamalu, who may have been a bigger factor throughout his career in the locker room and team meetings than on the field. But time marches on for everyone, and Polamalu was struck by that notion on Thursday.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 our Holy Week this week. Our Easter is on Sunday,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檝e been in church and had a lot of time to contemplate. It actually hit me today in church that, 无毛视频楳an, you know what? You无毛视频檙e done. You无毛视频檙e done. Your training is done. Your getting in your stance in football is done.无毛视频� It actually hit me in the middle of church. I was like, all right, man, it无毛视频檚 time to start living. Because I无毛视频檝e been living the dream.无毛视频�