37-year-old receiver Steve Smith Sr. writes perfect, 2-sentence letter to announce his retirement
After 16 seasons in the NFL, veteran wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. is hanging up his cleats.
This comes as no surprise, as Smith had said he was planning on retiring after this season. He was set to retire at the end of 2015, but when his season ended early with an Achilles injury, he decided to come back for one more season. In 2016, he had an impressive, 799-yard, five-touchdown campaign with the Ravens.
On Friday, Smith made his retirement official, posting his letter to Rogel Goodell on Twitter. And in typical Smith fashion, it includes a bit of trash talk.
The letter reads:
"This is to notify you that as of today, I, Steve Smith Sr., will no longer be antagonizing defensive backs. I am retiring from the National Football League."
It's a perfect ending for one of the game's best receivers and most notorious trash talkers.
Smith finishes his career with 1,031 catches, 14,731 receiving yards (seventh all-time), and 81 touchdowns.