(Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
On the night before the first training camp practice, the Steelers announced that inside linebacker Vince Williams has retired from the NFL after eight seasons with the organization.
"Vince Williams notified us today that he will retire from the game of football," Steelers General Manager and Vice President, Kevin Colbert said. "We respect his decision and want to thank him for his time with us as he consistently showed great character and leadership in addition to his contributions on the field. We wish Vince and his family all the best."
Williams started 69 of 121 games with the Steelers since being drafted in the sixth round in 2013 out of Florida State. In eight seasons with the Steelers, Williams recorded 479 total tackles, 333 of them being solos, 50 tackles for losses, 20.5 sacks, 45 quarterback hits, five fumble recoveries, five passes defended and two interceptions, one of which was a pick-six.
Williams also had a career-high in tackles for losses last season with 14, along with three sacks.
In March, the Steelers released Williams as a cap casualty to save $4 million, but they re-signed the veteran linebacker a month later on a one-year, $1.075 million deal. Williams hinted at retirement in April when he told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN that he was thinking about retirement after this season and has considered getting into coaching.
Williams tweeted on July 9, "I wanna win a super bowl for the city so bad. The love they give me now is nuts, I can only imagine what it’s like after a ring." It appears that Williams was willing to give it one last season, but the grind of another NFL season gave him second thoughts.
Williams also tweeted on July 14 that professional sports are "extremely stressful" and "mentally taxing." In addition to tweeting on the same day, "Playing a gladiator sport you trade your health for wealth (potential wealth)."
The pinned tweet on Williams’ Twitter account is: “I lost 3 million dollars, but I found Jesus and tbh Im perfectly fine with that.” The loss of $3 million is about Williams being released and re-signing on a cheaper deal. So with taking everything into consideration, it appears that Williams was fine with leaving the game and moving on with his life's work.
Williams was projected to backup starters Devin Bush and Robert Spillane this year, so the Steelers will now have to rely on either rookie Buddy Johnson, Marcus Allen and Ulysees Gilbert III becoming the go-to backup behind Bush and Spillane.
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