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Ndamukong Suh has announced his retirement from the NFL, officially putting an end to a 13-year career that included five All-Pro selections and a 2010 Defensive Rookie of the Year award, along with a Super Bowl win with the Buccaneers in 2020. 

Suh hasn’t played in the NFL since he spent a season with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022 but had not officially called it a career until Saturday when he issued an emotional statement on social media, announcing his retirement one year after the death of his father: 

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. Every snap I took in football carried his fingerprint. Every time I lined up across from someone, I could hear his voice pushing me, reminding me that I wasn’t just representing myself. I was representing him, my family, my name.

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. I have so many memories to cherish. 13 seasons. 5x All-Pro. A Super Bowl ring. Countless battles in the trenches. I left it all on the field, and now I’m stepping away with peace and gratitude.

Suh was picked second overall by the Detroit Lions in the 2010 NFL Draft after a spectacular college career at Nebraska, and he immediately became one of the most dominant defensive tackles in football. Suh was a first-team All-Pro as a rookie, earning the league’s DROY award as well, and earned All-Pro honors five times in his first seven seasons. Over his 13-year career with five teams Suh amassed 600 tackles, 130 tackles for loss, 71.5 sacks and three fumble returns for touchdowns.