Legendary Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders announces documentary on why he retired

An age-old Detroit sports question could be answered in a new documentary coming out this fall.

"Why did Barry Sanders retire?"

The legendary Detroit Lions running back and Pro Football Hall of Famer announced on social media Friday a documentary he's been filming over the last year with Amazon that promises to answer the question that has been stuck in people's craw for nearly 25 years.

Sanders called the new doc "the definitive movie on my life," while adding "The great mystery of why I walked away will be answered once and for all."

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Sanders famously called it quits when he was still near the peak of his powers and just one season removed from when he won the MVP and rushed for 2,053 years. Despite playing just 10 seasons, Sanders still sits at No. 4 on the all-time NFL rush yard leaders list and was only just recently passed by Frank Gore, who played 16 seasons and 88 more games than Sanders.

When he retired, Sanders was within striking distance of Walter Payton's NFL record for career rushing yards and would've likely passed him with one more season. Sanders finished with 15,269 yards in his career and needed just 1,457 yards to pass Payton. He rushed for 1,491 yards in his final season and played all 16 games in each of his final five seasons. Payton was eventually passed by Sanders' contemporary, Emmitt Smith, who finished with 18,355 yards in his career, a number that might now be untouchable in today's pass-first style of football.

In the short trailer of the new documentary that Sanders posted, you hear from Michigan natives Jeff Daniels and Jemele Hill, as well as others who speculate the real reason Sanders retired. The clip ends with Sanders sitting down in a chair on the stage at what appears to be the Fox Theatre in Detroit.

In recent years, Sanders has been a brand ambassador for the Lions and has been known to show up at practice from time to time. This year, he and Calvin Johnson met the two Lions' first-round picks at the airport after they landed in town and welcomed them to the city.

The Lions are scheduled to unveil a statue of Sanders in front of one of the entrances of Ford Field this weekend as the team hosts its home opener against the Seahawks on Sunday.

Of course, Sanders has always been quite reserved and has been hesitant to talk about the decision to retire over the years, so don't necessarily expect a bombshell.

But hey, even if there isn't anything groundbreaking, who is going to complain about getting to watch an hour or so of Barry Sanders highlights?

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Former Detroit Lions RB Barry Sanders announces new documentary