Update: Retires a Steeler.
https://twitter.com/#!/pittgirly/status/182122461540777985
Probably a good move.
*****
This was announced by the Steelers a couple weeks ago. Pittsburgh was carrying one of the oldest rosters in the league, though that was particularly true of the defense. There will be a lot of shaking up during the off-season for the Steelers.
So maybe this is how it ends for Hines Ward.
On Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Steelers shipped out the following alert:
“Steelers’ all-time leading wide receiver, Hines Ward, will be available to the media today, Tuesday, March 20, at noon at the UPMC Sports Performance Complex.”
One sentence.
And perhaps the conclusion of one very unique career. Or maybe nothing more than a fond farewell to the city he’s played for since 1998.
Players who’ve lasted a long time in the NFL talk, when they retire, about how difficult it was to make the decision to give it up. We’ve all seen the stoic tough guys crying on TV. As a general rule, it seems to us that it’s best to quit when you’ve not played a couple of lackluster seasons with a desperate team that needs some veteran leadership, because if your career has gone this long in one city, and Pittsburgh’s one of the places where this is most important, you’ll always be beloved by the fans. And that’s something you can lean on, just so long as you reciprocate the love.
Players are people, though, and people don’t always make decisions with their heads. Whatever becomes of Hines Ward, it’s been a pleasure to watch him play, and we wish him the best.
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