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Paul Posluszny quits NFL in tear-filled ceremony: 'I'd rather be a year too early than one play too late'

On Monday, Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Paul Posluszny made his retirement official at an emotional ceremony with teammate Telvin Smith.

Smith introduced Posluszny and almost immediately broke into tears when speaking about his teammate of four years.

“I promise you as soon as I met him, I knew I had a guy I could trust, who I could depend on,” Smith said. “I never thought I would meet somebody who didn’t grow up in the struggle that I did and love the game as much as I did.”

“I never met a better man than you. I’ve never had a better teammate than you.”

Posluszny, 33, played 11 seasons in the NFL with the Jaguars and Buffalo Bills, tallying 881 tackles and 16 sacks while earning Pro Bowl honors in 2013. He won the Dick Butkus award at Penn State in 2005 as college football’s best linebacker.

“I love the game too much and I respect it too much to not be able, physically, to do everything that I’ve done in years past,” Posluszny said in a statement. “If that’s a year too early, I’ll regret it, but I’d rather be a year too early than one play too late.”

Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Paul Posluszny made his retirement official at an emotional ceremony with teammate Telvin Smith. (AP)
Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Paul Posluszny made his retirement official at an emotional ceremony with teammate Telvin Smith. (AP)

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