Polamalu retires from football
Roberto M. Esquivel|缅北禁地
Steelers safety Troy Polamalu is pictured walking off the field in this 2012 缅北禁地 file photo.
Roberto M. Esquivel|缅北禁地
Pictured in the 2012 缅北禁地 file photo is Steelers safety Troy Polamalu (43).
Roberto M. Esquivel
Steelers safety Troy Polamalu (43) breaks up a pass against the Cleveland Browns receiver in this 2012 缅北禁地 file photo. Polamalu was recently elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Troy Polamalu called Dan Rooney last night to inform him he was retiring from football.
The Steelers had asked Polamalu to retire in February, but he resisted until the realization came upon him in church this week, the Holy Week of the Greek Orthodox Church.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all about family,鈥� said Polamalu in a phone interview. 鈥淚 live here in Pittsburgh now, and since the end of the season I鈥檝e had a chance to enjoy my family on a level I never had before. It was awesome.鈥�
Polamalu retires after 12 seasons, in which the eight-time Pro Bowler and four-time first-team All-Pro played in 158 regular-season games, 15 playoff games and three Super Bowls. In those games, the Steelers鈥� strong safety made 710 tackles, intercepted 35 passes, forced 13 fumbles, recovered seven fumbles, scored four touchdowns and won two championships.
In his prime, No. 43 was one of the greatest to ever play the game.
Last season, Polamalu started nine games and made 49 tackles before an injury resulted in a sprained knee ligament and forced him to miss four of the final seven games. He returned for the playoffs and made eight tackles in the loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
The freakish nature of the injury, in which a runner pinballed off another player and into the back of Polamalu鈥檚 leg, gave him reason to believe he could continue playing and caused him to consider his options.
鈥淚 did not seriously consider playing elsewhere,鈥� Polamalu said. 鈥淚t was just whether or not I wanted to play. I had talked to a lot of people about what I should do with my situation, and what they kept saying back to me, and which was not a sufficient reason, was 鈥楾roy, you played 12 years in the NFL, you won Super Bowls, won individual awards. There鈥檚 nothing left to prove. You have a legacy.鈥� And I just kept saying, 鈥楩irst of all, I don鈥檛 care about a legacy. Second of all, I play the game because I enjoy it.鈥� That鈥檚 the reason to keep playing.
鈥淟ike I said, what it came down to was definitely family. If I鈥檓 in my fourth year, fifth year, even if I鈥檓 in my 10th year, I鈥檓 playing in Alaska. But when I started this process and started to debate whether I should come back or should I play, that was kind of the sign for me to say 鈥榃hoa, if you鈥檙e just even debating it maybe you shouldn鈥檛 play anymore,鈥� because what I do know about this game is it takes a lot -a lot 鈥� of commitment just to be an average player.鈥�
Polamalu also came upon the realization that the numbers 鈥� age of 33 and 12 years service 鈥� agreed with him.
鈥淭hirty-three is obviously significant because of Christ being 33; and 12 years, 12 apostles,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not superstitious by any means but I always thought that if I played 12 years and retire from football at 33 and give my life and give my body and give my blood to this game, I think that would be a pretty significant landmark in my life.鈥�
Polamalu said that his wife, Theodora, did not ask him to retire, and that 鈥淪he was the most supportive person. I would ask her, 鈥榃hat do you want me to do? What should I do?鈥� And she would say, 鈥楾roy, I鈥檓 not here to tell you what you should do. I鈥檓 here to support you in whatever decision you want to make.'鈥�
What will Polamalu do in retirement?
鈥淲ell, that鈥檚 the big question,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat also was part of the hesitation. What am I going to do now? I think the best I can do is make up for lost time, and that鈥檚 with my family. Thank God football has provided me the ability to be able to sit back and see what the options are. But I鈥檒l definitely be the best father I can possibly be.鈥�
Polamalu is the father of seven-year-old Paisios and five-year-old Ephram, boys who are often seen darting around the Heinz Field locker room and the training-camp fields at St. Vincent College.
鈥淢aybe it was a sign for me to retire when I chase my kids around and couldn鈥檛 catch them,鈥� Polamalu said with a laugh. 鈥淚t was either a sign for me to retire or a sign for them to begin training.鈥�
Polamalu does see good possibilities ahead for the Steelers.
鈥淧art of the reason I wanted to come back was they鈥檙e talented, they鈥檙e really talented,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 an exciting time to be a Steeler, but, man, there have been years where I thought we weren鈥檛 going to be very good and we were great, and there were years that I thought we were going to be great and we weren鈥檛 very good. You just never know.
鈥淚 do know one thing is that talent doesn鈥檛 win Super Bowls. There鈥檚 got to be another component there. The personality of a team changes from year to year. I do think the team next year can be really successful. How successful, only time will tell.鈥�
The personality of this team will certainly change without Polamalu, who may have been a bigger factor throughout his career in the locker room and team meetings than on the field. But time marches on for everyone, and Polamalu was struck by that notion on Thursday.
鈥淚t鈥檚 our Holy Week this week. Our Easter is on Sunday,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been in church and had a lot of time to contemplate. It actually hit me today in church that, 鈥楳an, you know what? You鈥檙e done. You鈥檙e done. Your training is done. Your getting in your stance in football is done.鈥� It actually hit me in the middle of church. I was like, all right, man, it鈥檚 time to start living. Because I鈥檝e been living the dream.鈥�