Super Bowl champion Ndamukong Suh announces retirement from NFL, honors late father's wish

Super Bowl champion Ndamukong Suh announced his retirement from the NFL on Saturday. 

Suh, 38, last played in the NFL during the 2022 season, with the Philadelphia Eagles. The five-time All-Pro said he is "honoring" a wish from his late father by retiring. 

"July 12, 2024, was the hardest day of my life. It’s the day I said goodbye to my father, the man who raised me, shaped me, challenged me, and believed in me before I believed in myself. He wasn’t just a dad. He was my idol, my coach, and my anchor. He taught me what it meant to be disciplined, focused, and relentless in everything I do," Suh wrote on X. 

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Ndamukong Suh holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy during a boat parade to celebrate victory in Super Bowl LV against the Kansas City Chiefs on February 10, 2021, in Tampa Bay, Florida.  (Kim Klement-USA Today Sports)

"Before he passed, he gave me one final piece of advice, ‘It’s time to let football go. You’ve done everything you set out to do. Now it’s time for the next chapter.’ That conversation stayed with me. So today, one year later, I’m honoring that wish. I’m officially retiring from the NFL."

Suh was drafted by the Detroit Lions with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. The defensive tackle made the Pro Bowl in four of his five seasons with the Lions. 

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Former Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh in action. (IMAGN)

Suh played five seasons with the Lions, three with the Miami Dolphins, one with the Los Angeles Rams, three with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and his final season with the Eagles. 

Suh was a member of the Buccaneers team that won the 2020 Super Bowl. Across the team’s playoff run, Suh tallied 10 combined tackles and 1.5 sacks. 

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Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh (74) smiles to the crowd before the start of the third quarter of Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium on February 12, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona.  (Kirby Lee-USA Today Sports)

In 199 career regular-season games, Suh recorded 600 combined tackles, 71.5 sacks, one interception, five forced fumbles and three career fumble-recovery touchdowns. 

Suh wrote that he has been preparing for retirement for "years."

"Football was my passion, but it was never my endgame," Suh wrote. 

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