Jun 10, 2008 - 3:46 PM
0 shoutsEAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) -- Michael Strahan admitted it was time to move on from football. Winning a Super Bowl made that decision an easy one.
Strahan officially retired Tuesday, ending his 15-year career as a record-setting defensive end with the New York Giants.
A day after informing team officials of his decision, the 36-year-old Strahan discussed his retirement during a news conference Tuesday morning at Giants Stadium.
"It's been a great 15 years," Strahan said. "I've played hard, I've played well, I've always done my best.
"At some point, you have to realize you have done all you thought you can do or need to do and that it's time to move on. That's why I'm here before you today - to say that it's over."
Over what likely will prove to be a Hall of Fame career, Strahan appeared in 216 games - all with the Giants. The four-time All-Pro ranks fifth on the NFL's all-time list with 141 1/2 career sacks.
Strahan flirted with retirement last summer before returning to the eventual Super Bowl champion Giants, a decision that clearly paid off.
"I'm able to leave as a champion, able to leave as a New York Giant," he said. "Fifteen years as a New York Giant, the one and only place I've known and the only uniform that I've ever put on. That in itself is very special."
Tuesday's announcement came just over four months after the Giants pulled off one of the most shocking upsets in football history, rallying for a 17-14 victory over the then-undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
"I don't think you could write a book or a movie or anything that people would believe," Strahan said. "It makes it sweeter to be able to retire and say, 'We did it.' There's no better way to go out than to go out right now."
After contemplating his future for the last four months, Strahan said that he wanted to arrive at a decision before Wednesday, when the Giants begin a mandatory mini-camp.
"It's fair to everybody," he said. "So much has been made of if I'll play or not play that even I'm sick of it. I felt like it was important that everyone knew as soon as possible."
Strahan admitted last summer that he was mulling retirement and missed nearly all of training camp before deciding to play. The seven-time Pro Bowler got off to a slow start before ultimately enjoying a successful regular season, recording nine sacks in 16 games.
The ensuing postseason proved vindicating for the verbose Strahan, who came up short in his bid for a Super Bowl ring in his six previous playoff appearances.
"I don't think I needed a ring to fulfill my career," he said. "But when you get it, you think 'There's no way I could have left without a ring.'"
Strahan collected 22 tackles and two sacks - including one in the Super Bowl - during New York's improbable title run, silencing his numerous critics by capping his successful career with a long-awaited championship.
A second-round draft selection in 1993, Strahan led the NFL in sacks twice (2001, 2003) and recorded double-digit sacks in six different seasons. He rewrote the NFL record book in 2001, when he collected a single-season record 22 1/2 sacks.
"It has been an honor to coach Michael Strahan," Giants head coach Tom Coughlin said. "You can see by the coaching staff, the players and the staff that are here today recognizing this great player and what he has meant to this New York Giant organization. He was a great, natural, instinctive leader."
"It is a bittersweet day," owner John Mara added. "We're going to miss him, but at least we know he's gone out on top of the world."
Following a stellar 2003 campaign in which he led the league with 18 1/2 sacks, Strahan's career took a sour turn in 2004 - when he missed the final eight games with a torn pectoral muscle.
After playing the entire 2005 season and finishing with 11 1/2 sacks, Strahan missed seven games in 2006 due to a foot injury. The Houston native also clashed with teammate Plaxico Burress and the New York media at one point during the 2006 campaign, leading to speculation that his days with the Giants could be numbered.
But despite his prolonged holdout last summer, Strahan was voted as a team co-captain by the Giants prior to last season, a vote of confidence that seemed to spur him toward another solid season.
"It is hard to replace a guy who brings leadership," Giants general manager Jerry Reese said. "Either you have leadership ability or you don't have it and with Mike, it was an innate thing with him. He has always had it, and it will be hard to replace that."
Led by Strahan, New York's defense paced the NFL with 53 sacks this past season. The Giants also recorded eight sacks during the postseason, including five against Tom Brady in the Super Bowl.
"He has been so important to us," Mara said. "There is no way we win the Super Bowl last year without him. In fact, I would say we probably don't even make the playoffs without him."
The personable Strahan figures to embark on a career in the sports television industry. But he acknowledged that leaving the Giants will be difficult.
"I feel like I'm leaving my family," Strahan said. "I love these guys unlike anyone else. I physically give more of myself on that field to them than anybody else, and to leave that is going to be a tough adjustment.
"But at the same time, it's the right adjustment and the right time to do it."
