Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
On Oct. 10, 2013, Brandon Jacobs, who announced his retirement on Twitter, has a throwback night in Chicago.
Just a few days ago, Brandon Jacobs was very “undecided” about whether he wanted to continue his NFL career. On Thursday, he quickly made up his mind.
The big, bruising running back who set a Giants record with 60 career touchdowns, officially announced his retirement from the NFL via his Twitter account (@gatorboyrb). Jacobs had recently had knee surgery and was facing four months of rehab that he said he’d approach as if he planned to play in 2014.
Instead, he decided that nine years in the NFL was enough.
“After 9 years in this whirlwind business they call the NFL, I am proud to announce that I am hanging up my cleats,” Jacobs announced. “I’ve had an amazing run and I appreciate all of the support from the fans through the good and the bad. The New York Giants are a great organization and I am proud to have been a part of it for so long. I love my coaches and my teammates and will miss them as well as the game itself.
TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images
Brandon Jacobs runs with the ball during Super Bowl XLII when Big Blue beat the Patriots.
“But I am healing well from my surgery and I look forward to running around with my kids for years to come!”
On the day after the Giants’ season ended, Jacobs said his children would play a big role in his decision. He said that his knee was so bad this last season that he couldn’t even bend down to play with his kids. That was a big reason why he opted for the cartilage graft surgery on Dec. 11 to repair osteo-arthritis in his left knee.
The 31-year-old Jacobs was a fourth-round pick out of Southern Illinois in the 2005 draft and immediately became a fixture in the Giants’ backfield and a feared runner because of his 6-4, 265-pound size. He finished his career with 5,094 yards and those 60 touchdowns. He also had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2007-08.
His body eventually betrayed him, though, and the Giants let him go after their Super Bowl XLVII championship. He spent one miserable, injury-plagued season in San Francisco where he feuded with the coach and carried just five times for seven yards. He then mulled retirement before the Giants brought him back for Week 2 of this season.
Jacobs rushed for only 238 yards on 58 carries, but he added four touchdowns to his career total. He also had one magical throwback night on Oct. 10 in Chicago when he bulldozed his way through 22 carries for 106 yards and two touchdowns. But the wear and tear on his knee that night was too much and he missed the next three games and carried the ball only 14 more times for 84 yards the rest of the season.
Still, Jacobs enjoyed every bit of his final, unexpected stop back in New York – the only place he said he ever wanted to play.
“I will only play here, no question,” Jacobs said as he cleaned out his locker. “And if that’s not the case, take it for what it is. Give me a box. Every other Sunday I’ll put my Giants shirt on, my Giant hat, and root for this football team, this organization.
“I’m only playing here. Screw all them other teams. Screw all them other teams. I’m a Giant. I tried (playing elsewhere) already. I’m a Giant. I am a Giant up and down, 0-16, 16-0, 8-8, whatever you want to call it. I’m a Giant. That’s what it is. And this is the organization that I love.”
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via Great Local News: New York http://newyork.greatlocalnews.info
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