New England Patriots guard Dan Connolly, a veteran of 89 regular season games, 71 starts, 10 NFL seasons and one Super Bowl victory, has decided to call it a career.
Connolly, 32, announced the news Thursday, per ESPN, citing a bevy of factors, most notably a concern over his long-term health after a football career which saw him sustain four documented concussions and possibly more.
"It's important to me to leave the game healthy," Connolly said, via Mike Reiss of ESPN. "I'm able to be here for my kids and walk away on my own terms. I feel like I got everything I could out of football in playing 10 years, winning a Super Bowl, and playing alongside some truly great players."
Concussion issues have come to the fore of late in the NFL as players like Chris Borland and Anthony Davis have made the previously unheard of decision to retire only a short time into their professional lives. That is due in large part to the increased awareness brought to the consequences of repeated head trauma by the sad cases of former NFL players like Junior Seau and Dave Duerson.
Despite the negatives of playing such a violent, physical game, Connolly said that there are plenty of aspects of being part of the Patriots organization that he'll miss.
"The locker room friendships, I just don't know if you can get that type of connection in any job in the world; being together in training camp and hotels on the road, that close-knit bond is something I'll definitely miss," Connolly said.
"With my football career coming to a close I am grateful for the opportunity given to me by the Kraft family and Coach [Bill] Belichick. It is an honor to have been part of such a great organization for the past eight seasons."
A team captain for the Patriots Super Bowl-winning 2014 team, Connolly leaves the sport at it's, and his career's, highest point.
"It definitely played a part in it; helped me sleep better," Connolly said of retiring after winning the Lombardi Trophy. "I'm more at ease with the decision."
