DeAngelo Hall: "I'm officially retiring today"

DeAngelo Hall officially called it a career today.

Retirement:

“Yes guys, so you probably have heard, I’m sure you heard months ago, but after fourteen seasons of professional football, I will be officially retiring today. I was joking around a little bit and so I told someone, a statement, that I was doing an interview with Sports Illustrated and I said I was always taught, even as a young kid, I came into this league at 20 years old and I had a room full of veteran guys and no one was intimidated, no one was scared, prideful, of me coming in and taking their spot. It was open arms. I was taught every bit of knowledge that I was able to keep passing down along the lines and I’ve always said, ‘When I retire, it’s going to be because I felt like I’ve taught the guys behind me… I’m getting a little choked up. …Enough to succeed and ultimately take my spot.

When I felt like I couldn’t make plays or be the same player that I always thought I was, I knew it was time to go. You know last season, you know, it was a lot of ups and downs for myself personally. Probably didn’t start the way I would’ve like to on PUP, didn’t really, you know I can make a lot of excuses but at the end of the day, you know father time catches up with us all and so, you know, I made the comment to Sports Illustrated how I couldn’t understand how a guy like Ben Roethlisberger, who was in my draft, I’m really good friends with Ben and still talk to him to this day, how he would feel intimidated by a guy like Mason Rudolph and make the comment, ‘Man you know I hope they don’t expect me to help him.’ You know, I just think it just goes back to maybe when he was brought in as a rookie, he did not get that kind of tutelage from the older guys, maybe those guys were intimidated and felt some kind of way about him, but from the moment that I stepped into Atlanta [Falcons], I never once felt like that. So my whole mindset was always to try to give the young guys as much knowledge and understanding, the lessons that I’ve learned along the way as possible and you know I felt like I said earlier, I felt like I did that. Some by default and some by really, really trying to pour into them. That’s how I’ve always tried to play football. As I’m saying this, you know, a couple of people I want to thank along the way, obviously you know a lot of the coaches I played with, a lot of you guys probably know the stigma of who DeAngelo Hall is or was, the hoopla about me being a ‘me’ guy.

You know, a ton of coaches like I said along the way and I’m not going to sit here and name all of them because I’d be here all day, but I especially want to thank Mike Shanahan for challenging me to be a great player and a great leader. Prior to Mike coming here to Washington, you know all I really cared about was Pro Bowls and making plays and I knew by making those plays, I would help the team win and I thought that was enough. You know, until Mike sat me down and really challenged me to be more than just a playmaker, to be a leader, you know if it wasn’t for Mike kind of really opening my eyes to who I could be, I probably wouldn’t be the person who I am today and so special thanks to Mike Shanahan along with a slew of other guys, other coaches. Dan Snyder (Washington Redskins owner) obviously for taking a chance on me, Bruce [Allen] for keep bringing me back injury after injury when I should have been probably gone.

A couple years ago, Vinny Cerrato, and that staff for even taking a chance on me when Oakland cut me and, you know, midway through the season people thought I couldn’t play football and thought I did something wrong there when it was really just, rest in peace, Al Davis, but it was really just Al being Al. You know, Al marched to the beat of his own drum as a lot of you guys probably know who’ve covered sports for a long time and though that was one of the most challenging moments in my career, I wouldn’t change a thing because if I wasn’t humbled by that experience, I probably wouldn’t be standing right here today and so special shout out and thanks to all those guys.

My wife Jada, my six beautiful kids who I’ve neglected for years and years and now I finally get to be a taxi driver, Uber driver, whatever you want to say so I’ll kind of wrap that up because I can ramble on all day. Any questions?”

Hall's wife:

Mike Shanahan:

Bruce Allen:

Jay Cutler:

Post-retirement plans:

Redskins:

Redskins future:

Thank you fans: